F 

757 

JAeH 



•1 



the 



RESOURCES 



OF 



Madison County, 



MONTANA. 



BY JAMES IIANDLY 



4 




Class ny 
Book . At- 



THE RESOURCES 



MADISON COUNTY, 



MONTANA 






/ 
BY JAMES HANDLY. 



11582 



FRANCIS & VALENTINE, 

Steam Book, Job and Poster Printing Establishment, 

517 clay street, san francisco 






:/ 



- 



PREFATORY. 



The object of this publication is to give a full and complete 
description of Madison County, Montana Territory. The pros- 
pect of the early completion of the Northern Pacific Railroad, is 
causing thousands to turn their eyes and attention to the undevel- 
oped riches and resources of the great northwest. Montana occu- 
pies one of the most prominent positions in this field for capital 
and immigration, and has claims and advantages which can be 
neither overlooked nor disregarded. In this pamphlet the resources 
of Madison county are treated separately and under distinct head- 
ings. It is to be hoped that the information and description here 
given, will prove acceptable to those who are seeking new Jiomes 
and new fields for their skill and enterprise. 

The writer takes this opportunity to present his thanks to those 
who emended kindly favors, and assisted in various ways when he 
was gathering data for the work. 

Virginia City, M. T., April 2d, 1872. J. H. 



\-1Zc-lf3 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 



•J T P*J 



H H^ * 



XILllklilLJtll. 



VIRGINIA CITY, - - - - MONTANA. 



PLANTERS' HOUSE, 



GEORGE WAKEFIELD, 



PROPRIETOR. 



Superior Accommodations in every respect offered to the traveling 

public. 



H. A. PEASE, 






AND DEALER IN 



,LER IN 

Watches, Clocks, Etc. 

WALLACE STREET, 
VIRGINIA CITY, . . MONTANA. 



/. G. SMITH, 

AND 

SURGEON. 
WALLACE ST., VIRGINIA CITY, 

MONTANA. 







S* GENERAL DESCRIPTION OF MADISON COUNTY, MON- 



TANA TERRITORY. 



This county is situated in the southern portion of the territory, 
and is bounded on the north by the counties of Jefferson and Gal- 
latin, on the west by Beaver Head and Deer Lodge counties, on 
the east by Gallatin county, and on the south by Idaho Territory. 
It contains grand ranges of mountains; long rapid rivers, and 
extensive and fertile valleys. 

The Mountains. — Tobacco Root range of mountains, shoots 
out in a northerly course from the Rocky Mountains west of 
Henry's Lake. It separates the valleys of the Madison and Willow 
Creek, from those of the Jefferson and Passamari. Its principal 
peak is Mount Baldy, which attains an elevation of 9,191 feet, and 
it has an extensive plateau at an altitude of 6,285 feet. The range 
is eighty-five miles in length. 

Snow Crest Range, a spur from the Tobacco Root, shoots out 
from Mount Baldy in a southwesterly course; separates the valleys 
of the upper Passamari and Black Tail Deer. It is thirty miles in 
length, and at the head waters of Black Tail Deer Creek attains an 
elevation of 10,067 feet. 

The Madison Range leaves the Rocky Mountains near Yellow- 
stone Lake, forms the divide, at first, between the Yellowstone and 
Fire Hole rivers, and then the dividing line between the counties 
of Madison and Gallatin; it runs very nearly parallel with the To- 
bacco Root Range, and is about the same length. Its principal 
elevated peak, is Mount Washington, altitude not yet determined. 

The main range of the Rocky Mountains, which divides the head 
waters of the Columbia and Missouri, comes into the county near the 
head waters of the west fork of the Madison river. They meander, 
send out sharp spurs, and swing in ox-bow shapes, but their gen- 
eral course is west by northwest. The principal elevations are 
Mount Jefferson and Table Mountain. Mount Jefferson is situated 
two miles west of Henry's Lake, at the termination of the principal 
meridian of Montana surveys. Its height is 9,000 feet. Table 
Mountain is at the dividing line between Madison and Deer Lodge 
counties, and has an elevation of 8,350 feet. 

The Ruby Range, the most beautiful mountains in the county, 
appears to be isolated from other ranges and spurs. It forms an 
angle, and is thirty miles in length. It separates the valleys of 
Beaver Head and Lower Passamari, and attains an elevation of 
8,300 feet above the level of the sea. 



6 

Eivees and Valleys. — The county is watered by the Madison, 
Jefferson, Passamari, Eed Kock, Beaver Head and Big Hole rivers 
and their numerous tributaries. t The principal valleys are those 
through which these waters flow, and they bear the same name as 
the rivers. For fertility of soil, they are unsurpassed by any lands 
on the continent. 

Minerals. — The principal minerals are gold, silver, lead, copper, 
iron and coal — precious stones are quite abundant, and among the 
most valuable are rubies, garnets and agates. There are ledges of 
white marble, and also of excellent building rock; gold, however, 
is the chief article of export. It is estimated that during the past 
nine years, Madison county has contributed upwards of fifty 
millions of dollars to the woild's exchequer. 

Timber. — The greater portion of the timber is confined to the 
mountains and head waters of the streams. It is of a superior 
quality for nearly all uses; is exhaustless in quantity, and easy of 
access; it consists of red, yellow and white pine, spruce, fir and 
cedar. There are some cottonwood trees on the banks of the 
rivers, and occasionally a grove of birch and quaking aspen trees 
may be found in the valleys. 

Game and Fish. — One of the prominent charms of the valleys 
is their clear, flowing streams, which abound with delicious brook 
and salmon trout, and, in some places, mountain bass are plenti- 
ful. The bear, antelope, wolf, elk and mountain sheep make their 
homes in the timber, and grouse, pheasants, fool-hens, geese, 
ducks, squirrels, rabbits, foxes, beavers, etc., are quite plenty in 
the valleys, and in the vicinity of lakes and rivers. 

Climate. — The climate is delightful — the worst storms happen 
in the winter season, and are then chiefly confined to the mountains. 
At the approach and departure of cold weather, there are some- 
times moderate rains; but often months pass by without witnessing 
a cloud in the horizon. It is emphatically the land of sunshine, 
and the atmosphere seemingly contains an absence of all the 
elements of pestilence and disease which place life in jeopardy. 
It appears to be the conviction of all who are familiar with the 
salubrity of the climate, that if proper care were taken, the laws 
of health obeyed — barring accidents — there are no reasons why 
persons spending their lives here, should not attain a ripe old age 
of a hundred years. It was remarked by a prominent gentleman, 
who recently visited the territory, that there were but two agencies 
here capable of destroying life, viz : " shot guns and whisky," and 
he added, perhaps truthfully, "that often the shot gun would 
prove ineffectual, and whisky would be used as the unfailing- 
expedient. " 

Farming and Stock Raising. — The county is but nine years old. 
The first settlers were attracted by the gold and silver mines, and it 
has been but a comparatively short time that any attention has 
been given to this branch of industry. The last report of the 
Territorial Auditor and Treasurer shows that the value of cultivated 
lands in Madison county, is $197,260.00; valuation of horses, 
$116,968.00; asses and mules, $23,860.00; cattle of all kinds— 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 7 

including work oxen, beeves, cows and calves, $427,959.00. The 
county has become world-famous for stock raising. Horses and 
cattle run out in the valley at all seasons of the year, feed, fatten 
and thrive at all times — usually having no feed except what they 
gather by grazing. Young cattle that fatten on the bunch grass, 
and are slaughtered for beef, when two and three years old, weigh 
from 800 to 1,300 pounds when dressed. [ Further allusion is 
made to this business in the notices of the stock-ranches. ] 

The fruitful soil especially excels in producing wheat, oats, rye, 
barley and all kinds of vegetables. Indian corn is raised in 
limited quantities, but, where properly tested, it has grown success- 
fully. Fruit has been neglected. A few enterprising farmers have 
recently set out some fruit trees, and they are putting forth the 
leaves and buds of propitious promise. Some apples will be 
gathered in the county this year. But thus far, the great interest 
in farming has centered in raising stock of all kinds and in 
dairying. 

Notwithstanding the enormous yield of grain, there has been 
scarcely a year in which a sufficient quantity of wheat has been 
raised to supply the market for home consumption. Last year 
(1871) thousands of sacks of flour were imported from all directions. 
It was brought in at a time when there was a scarcity of flour in the 
market, and sold, in some instances, for twenty dollars per sack — 
a clear evidence that farming should be profitable in a country 
where the crops are sure, and the yield bounteous. In this 
country, where there is so little rain and fall of dew, the farmer 
depends entirely upon irrigation for the watering of crops — this is 
considered the most successful method of farming from one year to 
another, as the tiller of the soil knows in the start from what 
source he must obtain moisture, and makes preparations accord- 
ingly. The majority of farmers have settled near the rivers and 
tributaries, which leaves the bench lands — admitted to be the best 
for raising wheat — nearly entirely vacant. They are now making 
projects for bringing in long ditches and canals, and sinking artesian 
wells, to bring extensive tracts of such land under cultivation — such 
improvements, when completed, are very valuable property, and 
sell as easily and readily as any kind of goods or chattels. 

Farmers commence ploughing in this county and putting in 
spring wheat, in the month of February. The wages paid to farm 
hands are from forty to sixty dollars per month and board ; miners 
obtain from four to six dollars per day without board. The follow- 
ing are the average wholesale prices for provisions and produce : 
Sugar, extra, 20 cents ; coffee, Java, 35 to 40 cents ; Costa Eica, 
33 cents ; Kio, 27^ cents ; salt, 6 cents ; soda, 17 cents; saleratus, 
15 cents ; Whittaker hams, 28 cents ; XXX flour, $6.00 to $7.00 
per hundred pound sacks ; oats, 3 cents per pound ; feed barley, 3 
cents ; feed wheat, 2J cents ; potatoes, 2 cents ; onions, 4 cents ; 
Montana cheese, 25 cents ; butter, 50 to 75 cents ; eggs, 75 cents to 
$1.00 per dozen. These are currency rates, and in the winter 
season are usually twenty-five per cent, higher than the prices 
quoted. 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA, 

w m w. m&Emmm 

CONTINUES TO BUN HI8 

AST IIIIIIT All IIPEIiS WAI0I 

BETWEEN 

Virginia City and Helena, Montana. 



AND 

SPSCDAL ATTFBNTPDQW WIN) T@> PILMM @E$©ie&8„ 





DEAEERS AND JOBBERS IN 



Groceries, Agricultural Implem'ts 

OLoarniNG-, 

IKH»P f SIPHiIIi f 

WINES, LIQUORS AND TOBACCOS. 



ADOBE XOWXf, .... WEOjCf TASJik. 

Wholesale and Retail Dealers in 

STAPLE AND FANCY DRY GOODS, 

Masonic Temple, Virginia City, M. T, 



In. Every Fartioular, 

AND 

SPIRAL ATTI5CTBQ)1?« QEVIN TT@ FOULEN® ©RQIEIS. 



EESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 



TOWNS IN MADISON COUNTY. 



SUMMIT CITY.— This town holds its lofty position on the 
Tobacco Eoot Mountains, near the head waters of Alder Creek, at an 
altitude of 6,742 feet above the level of the sea. It has a population 
ranging between two and three hundred, during the spring and 
summer, who find occupation in working the rich placer mines in the 
upper portion of Alder Gulch, and in developing the numerous gold 
bearing quartz lodes in Summit District. There are four quartz 
mills adjoining the town and two more in process of erection. It 
also has stores, shops of mechanics, and numerous dwellings of 
miners. It is seven miles south of Virginia City, and is one of the 
most prosperous mining towns in Montana. Its quartz lodes are 
exceedingly rich, and there are many placer diggings in the 
vicinity that will pay from $8.00 to $10.00 per day to the hand, for 
many decades. At this high elevation, where the warm season is 
naturally short, the denizens have their gardens, and raise nearly 
all kinds of vegetables every year. 



VIRGINIA CITY.— This city, the county seat of Madison, and 
the capital of the territory of Montana, is situated on Alder Creek, 
and in a little basin at the foot-hills of the Tobacco Root Mountains, 
and has an altitude of 5,483 feet. The wealth of Alder Gulch 
created Virginia City, and the riches of surrounding mining camps 
and agricultural valleys constantly contribute the elements of life 
and prosperity. It was incorporated as a city on December 30th, 
1864, the following named gentlemen constituting the first board of 
city government: Mayor, P. S. Pfoutr, now of the firm of James 
A. Jackson & Co., St. Louis, Missouri— Aldermen, Dr. L. Daems, 
Jacob Feldberg, Major James R. Boyce, J. M. Castner, John Le 
Beau, James McShane, H. A. Pease and Wm. Shoot. The city 
was originally divided into four wards, and two aldermen were 
elected from each ward. Mr. Pfoutr served one year as Mayor, 
and was succeeded by James M. Castner, who filled the position 
for the same period, and was followed by Dr. L. Daems, who 
retained the position for two years; Mr. Henry Elling, was then 
elected to the office, served one year, and was succeeded by Judge 
H. L. Hosmer, the present incumbent. The present population of 
the city is about five hundred, which does not make a fair showing 
for the wealth of the city, nor for the amount of business transacted; 
many are engaged in business here, whose families are yet in the 
States; while the majority of the gentlemen are leading lives of 
single blessedness, having not yet acquired the appendages of 
families, which assist in swelling populations. As a rule, the busi- 
ness men have been eminently successful. Probably fewer have 
failed here, or taken the advantage of the bankrupt law, than in any 
other town in the mountains, and their credit in the large eastern 
houses is excelled by none in any community. The cards of the 
leading and most enterprising and reliable business and professional 
Gentlemen in the city and county, are found in this pamphlet. 



10 

The BuiLDiNas. — In an early day the buildings were put up 
hurriedly, as they were intended for only temporary purposes, and 
consisted of cabins rudely put together with dirt roofs and dirt 
floors. But now that the city has assumed the position of perma- 
nency, a much better class of buildings is taking their place. Many 
of these old cabins have been demolished, while a few of them 
yet stand scattered through the city as relics of by-gone days. 
There are two very creditable church buildings — Episcopal and 
Catholic; a substantial stone Court House, a splendid Masonic 
Temple that was erected at a cost of $30,000.00; two school-houses, 
four public halls, four hotels, a goodly number of stone business 
houses, and some private residences that would be an ornament 
and credit to any eastern city. 

Society. — For intellectual culture and refinement, and all of the 
graces which adorn society, making it pleasant and enjoyable. 
Virginia has always borne an enviable reputation, and so marked 
are these kindly feelings of friendly intercourse that she well sus- 
tains the character indicated by her sobriquet : " The Social City," 
by which she is so widely known. 

Newspaper. — There is an excellent newspaper published in the 
city. The Montanian, a, forty-eight column weekly, which is printed 
in fine style on one of Potter's largest steam presses. The paper is 
ably conducted; is a faithful expositor of the resources of this sec- 
tion of Montana, and its leaders and editorial notes are marked with 
more than ordinary ability. G. F. Cope is the proj:>rietor, and 
Harry J. Norton and A. M.'S. Carpenter are the present editors. 

Gardens. — The fruitfulness of Montana's soil can be partially 
estimated by noticing a few of the gardens and their products, at 
this high elevation. 

The model garden of Captain J. S. Bartruff contains fruit trees 
which survive the snow and storms of winter, and are in promising- 
condition. They are not yet old enoug-h to bear fruit. Captain 
Bartruff raises potatoes that weigh between three and four pounds, 
and cauliflowers that weigh twenty-five pounds. 

Mr. Lea F. Marston makes a speciality of raising flowers, and 
has one huadred and fifty different kinds and genera gro wing- 
beautifully and successfully in his garden. He raises a variety of 
vegetables, and last year one of his cabbages weighed thirty-eight 
pounds, which was sold for two dollars. 

The gardens of Messrs. Komey and Langtheaume are good 
indices of the richness of the soil. By taking a little care, and 
using hot beds in the early sjDiing, these gardeners are enabled to 
supply Virginia with fresh vegetables early every summer. 

Virginia is too highly elevated to promise herself immediate 
railroad connections, but the railroads that will soon traverse the 
adjoining valleys will contribute to her prosperity. But, without 
them, situated as she is, surrounded with hundreds of square 
miles of choice farming lands, with mining camps and rich quartz 
districts lying in every direction, sufficient trade and wealth will 
constantly flow to her exchequer to enable her to preside with 
dignity in her queenly position, and to prevent her glory from 
becoming any less. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY; MONTANA. 11 

NEVADA— Is situated two miles below Virginia City and has 
about one hundred inhabitants; it contains one miners' store, one 
brewery, blacksmith shop, butcher shop, livery stable, and a Ma- 
sonic hall. Most of the citizens are engaged in mining pursuits, 
but some of the residents have farms and stock in the valley. The 
town is situated on the main thoroughfare of travel from Virginia 
to the States, and at times presents a lively appearance. 



ADOBE TOWN. — This sprightly little burg is situated a mile 
from Nevada, at the junction of the old road to Salt Lake City and 
the present route of travel to Corinne. It is situated on one of the 
richest portions of Alder Gulch, and gives employment to a hun- 
dred miners every summer ; its present population is about one 
hundred and fifty ; it contains one mining store, blacksmith shop, 
two hotels and two public halls. 



JUNCTION CITY— Is one mile from Adobe Town, and not far 
from the junction of Alder Creek and the Passamari Kiver. Its 
.population is about one hundred ; contains stores, mechanic shops, 
meat market and school-house. It is surrounded with good placer 
mines and rich quartz lodes, and is near a fertile farming valley. 
The citizens have much faith in her future growth and prosperity, 
and are patiently awaiting the development of the country to realize 
the fruition of their hopes. 

CICERO. — This little burg is yet in its infancy ; it starts with 
a hotel, store, blacksmith shop and United States post-onice, as a nu- 
cleus for a large town. It is situated on the Passamari river, twelve 
miles from Virginia City, and has all of the advantages that can be 
given in the surroundings of a good farming and stock raising 
country. 

SHEEIDAN. — This promising town has one of the most pleas- 
ant situations in Montana, it is on Mill Creek, twenty miles distant 
from Virginia City, and is surrounded with the rich farming lands 
on Mill, Wisconsin and Indian Creeks, and the Passamari river. 
These localities are being fast settled with an enterprising and 
thrifty class of people who are making this portion of the country 
bloom with the fruits of their industry, and who are taking much 
pride in the growth and prosperity of Sheridan. In the way of 
buildings, it has a hotel, store, temperance hall, school-house and 
blacksmith shop. Adjacent to the town is a large flouring mill, 
tannery, saw-mills, quartz mills and smelting furnaces. There is 
much prosperity among the people of this locality, and all of the 
homes bear marked evidences of thrift and comfort. There is 
much travel through this burg, as it is on the road to places of 
importance in the county and territory, and on the direct road to 
and from the States. Surrounded as it is with thousands of acres 
of rich farming lands, acres and acres of placer mines, hundreds of 
gold and silver quartz ledges, we doubt not that it will become one 
of the most important and flourishing towns in Madison county. 



12 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 



Manufacturer of Jewelry. 

dealer insr 

AMERICAN AND FOREIGN WATCHES, YANKEE CLOCKS, ETC. 

WALLACE STREET, 

"VIIFtG-IIINri.A. CITY, INvCOZSTT^^lSr^.. 



VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA. 



» 



PLEASANT ROOMS, 

QOOD BEDS, 

AND THE 

Choicest Edibles the Market Affords 

MRS. R. CONWAY, PROPRIETRESS. 



toooogi 



R. P. BATEMAN. 






o 50 ° 



g goooo gfr 
Dealer in Groceries, 



Drugs, Medicines, Queensware 

A GOOD STOCK 
NAILS AND BUTTS, 



Boots, Shoes, Hats and Caps, 

OF HARDWARE, 
S CHEWS, ETC., ETC, 



SHERIDAN, MONTANA. 




^aUmcm. «f* | 50 




RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 13 

GAFFNEY. — This little town is two miles from the confluence 
of the Passamari and Beaver Head Rivers, and at the junction of the 
stage roads from Helena and Virginia to Corinne. Four coaches 
arrive and depart daily. It has a United States post-office, two 
hotels, store, feed stables and saloon. The town is situated quite 
near the line surveyed for the Northern Pacific Railroad. 



TWIN BRIDGES.— This town is situated where the united 
waters of the Passamari, Beaver Head and Big Hole Rivers form the 
Jefferson branch of the Missouri. It takes its name from the 
bridges which span the Beaver Head and Big Hole Rivers, a short 
distance apart and nearly opposite each other. It is on one of the 
principal thoroughfares through Montana, and the line surveyed 
for the Northern Pacific Railroad passes the place. It receives 
United States mails from four different directions. It was brought 
into existence to supply a demand for a convenient trading point 
and post-office for the people of this locality, and no doubt its many 
natural advantages will enable it to grow into a town of no small 
importance. 



IRON ROD AND SILVER STAR.— These two towns are 
situated very near each other, and their interests, in many respects, 
are identical. They are on the Jefferson River, three miles apart, 
and at a distance of forty miles from Virginia City. They are 
surrounded with an endless number of quartz lodes, considered to 
be the richest in the territory. In fact no quartz from these lodes 
have been crushed, without rendering profitable returns. There is 
a large quartz mill in the town, a miners' store and hotel. The 
town has a population of one hundred, and derives considerable 
trade from Porter Creek and the Jefferson Valley. The foremost 
quartz lode is the far-famed Iron Rod lode, from which fortunes 
have already been taken, and the lode will last for many years to 
come. 

The most fully developed lode at Silver Star is the Green 
Campbell, and probably no lode in Montana has been more success- 
fully or profitably conducted. This town is very pleasantly 
situated — has quartz mills, stores, hotel, school-house, Masonic 
hall, temperance lodge and many nice private residences. Its 
population numbers two hundred and fifty. There are some 
splendid hot springs a short distance from town. The line of the 
recent Northern Pacific survey passes through both of these towns, 
and no doubt upon the event of the building of the railroad they 
will receive the benefit of a depot, and this, with their permanent 
elements of prosperity, will cause them to assume a prominent 
position in Montana. 



STERLING.— This town is situated on Hot Spring Creek, 
between the valleys of the Madison and Willow Creek, thirty miles 
northeast of Virginia City. It is in the heart of a rich quartz dis- 
trict, and contains some of the finest quartz mills in the mountains. 
The Midas Mill, a model building in every respect, was erected at 



14 

a cost of $80,000.00. It is estimated that over a million of dollars 
lias been expended in this vicinity in quartz mills and in develop- 
ing lodes, but the work was attended with so much mismanage- 
ment, and such a culpable lack of good judgment on the start, that 
the result was by no means beneficial; on the contrary, was very 
injurious to the best interests of the place. But the quartz lodes 
are now under the management of practical business men and 
miners, and the prospects of this town are fast assuming a flatter- 
ing appearance. In addition to its quartz mills it has some good 
business houses, school-house, hotel and dwellings. Its present 
population is about one hundred. There will be considerable 
activity in the quartz mines the present year, and still greater 
operations will be made when the expense of working the ore is 
cheapened by the arrival of the Northern Pacific Railroad. 



QUARTZ LODES. 



First and foremost among the natural resources of this 
mountainous country, is the precious ore deposited in the rocky 
side of the barriers which divide our extensive valleys and 
flowing waters. That there are vast fortunes for thousands 
deposited by nature in the rocky layers of these endless hills, no 
one, who is passably familiar with their richness, has the least 
shade of doubt. But to separate these precious metals successfully; 
to crush tons of stubborn and solid rock beneath the ponderous 
stamps of the quartz mill for ounces of dust; to melt large masses 
of ore in the fiery furnace of the smelting works for silver buttons 
and bricks, and to receive pay for handling the worthless portions, 
taxes the skill, ingenuity and industry of those who have been suf- 
ficiently enterprising to make efforts to obtain the much sought-for 
treasure. Many persons who came to this country in an early day, 
feeling anxious to repair broken fortunes, commenced by making 
vigorous and earnest efforts in quartz lodes, but their previous in- 
experience in the business, and an absence of the knowledge of the 
best manner of reducing ore, wrought disastrous effects upon their 
energetic labors. Others discovered rich lodes, and since having 
them properly staked and recorded, have not accumulated sufficient 
means to bring machinery from the States, sink shafts, run 
tunnels and drifts — in short, to furnish the necessary requirements 
to develop and receive the golden promises of their claims. There 
is another class who were determined to realize some benefits from 
their interests in this kind of property, and have taken rock from 
their lodes, put it in sacks, and sent it across the ocean for reduc- 
tion. They were at the expense of paying freight for having it 
hauled from three to four' hundred miles in ox wagons to the rail- 
road, and then for transportation to New York and shipment, per 
steamer, to Wales. After paying for this expensive conveyance 
and all of the bills pertaining to the reduction, so far as we have 
heard, the enterprise has been a profitable one, and returns making 
plethoric purses for the owners of the rock have been received, a 



MONTANA. 15 

clear evidence that, in addition to sufficient capital, knowledge of 
the best method of extracting the precious metals would be the 
saving power, and the Aladdin's lamp for all who own quartz lodes. 
Notwithstanding the many untoward circumstances attending the 
working of lodes, there are numbers whose earnest efforts have 
been rewarded — many who have achieved brilliant success from 
their well directed labors. A change for greater prosperity will take 
place in this branch of business. Those who were discomfited and 
suffered pecuniary losses in their earliest efforts, have gained an 
experience and familiarity with the mode of reducing ore that will 
certainly recompense them to no small extent for their misfortunes. 
All who own quartz lodes consider them valuable property. Kail- 
roads — the grand agencies for the development of all countries- 
will soon be at our doors. A large portion of the expense attend- 
ing the milling and smelting of rock will be reduced; lodes that are 
only moderately rich will then yield handsome dividends, and an 
extensive field for capital and labor will then be opened. So strong 
is this belief among the people, that, while hundreds of lodes 
are remaining undeveloped, goodly numbers of eager prospectors 
are searching and prospecting in the mountains for more rock and 
new discoveries. 

We give the following description of a few lodes in each quartz 
district in the county, putting in such particulars as we have been 
enabled to gather concerning them. In all cases where we were 
not familiar with their properties, we have endeavored to obtain 
our information from the most reliable and trustworthy sources. 

Lodes in Summit District. — The Oro Cache has always held a 
prominent position in this district, having been worked since 1864. 
It possesses all the appearance of a true fissure, and has a vein of a 
permanent character with a width between the inclosing walls 
varying from one to five feet. It yields from $35.00 to $200.00 per 
ton in gold of excellent quality. 

Keystone Lode has been worked for several years with remunera- 
tive results. The vein varies from one to three feet in width ; gold 
bearing yields from $25.00 to $65.00 per ton. 

The Midas Lode is said to be an extension of the Keystone. 

Kearsarge Lode was worked for several years with good success, 
although, but little has been done during the past two years ; the 
vein is from one to three feet wide, gold bearing. 

Lucas {or Illinois) Lode is gold bearing, and has been worked 
for two years. Yein from four feet to ten feet wide ; there is a 
twenty-stamp mill attached. 

John How Lode has been intersected at a considerable depth by 
a long tunnel. This lode is gold bearing and gives good promise. 
There is a fine mill attached, which is situated a few hundred feet 
from the adit to the tunnel. 

Polar Star Lode possesses a superior location for exploration ; 
width of vein from one to three feet, bearing gold in quantity 
sufficient to encourage active operations. 

Mechanic Lode displays four feet crevice, and flattering en- 
couragement for development. 



16 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

The S. P. Chase is a gold bearing lode, and has a crevice sixteen 
feet in width. 

The Don Juan and Washington Lodes are not developed to any- 
great extent, but they have good crevices and are considered as rich 
lodes. 

Garnet Lode is considered to be very valuable for its precious 
stones. It contains large and beautifully brilliant garnets, which 
will be taken out sooner or later for the use of jewelers. 

Besides the lodes enumerated in the foregoing, there are a 
number of other valuable lodes in this district; and several hun- 
dred locations, but there has not been sufficient developments made 
to indicate their real permanency or value. The lodes in this 
district are all gold bearing and well situated for working, the hills 
being high and steep, the inclosing rock of a soft feldspathic 
character — timber abundant and quite near; water in sufficient 
quantity for steam purposes; wages four to five dollars per day. 
There are two additional mills to those already mentioned. The 
fine Chilian Mill of the M. G. & E. S. mining company, and the 
Postlewaite— a fifteen-stamp mill. 

Highland District. — There are some lodes in this district that 
will pay remunerative prices for working; they are situated near 
one of the tributaries of Alder Creek, where water power can be 
obtained for running mills. Prominent among these lodes are the 
Chickamon and Adamant. The latter will yield $50.00 per ton by 
the milling process. 

Fairweather District. — This embraces Virginia City, and there 
are quite a number of good lodes in the district, the majority of 
which are gold bearing. There is another class that bears both 
gold and silver in workable quantities— among the latter may be 
mentioned the Alameda or Jewell House, the U. L. A. and Sonoma, 
all of which have large veins, and are well situated for working. 
The Alameda Lode is very valuable. It has a good gold and silver 
bearing crevice, and crushes at the rate of $75.00 per ton — mill 
process. 

Brown's Gulch District. — This district is situated five miles 
southwest of Virginia, and embraces a goodly number of silver 
lodes of a reliable character, the foremost of which are the Pacific 
Bailroad, Black, True Silver, Louane, Boma, Gould and Curry, 
Wright, Barrett, etc. The yield from these lodes so far, with the 
use of imperfect and inadequate machinery, is very encouraging. 

Two tunnels have been run on the Pacific Bailroad Lode; one, one 
hundred and twenty-five feet long, and the other one hundred and 
eighty feet long. Drifts fifteen feet in length have been run on the 
ledges; one shaft has been sunk to the depth of one hundred and 
twenty-five feet — the crevice is from four to five feet wide. The 
rock assays at the rate of $200.00 per ton. 

There are tunnels in the True Silver Lode; one runs on the 
level of the lode at the length of one hundred and forty feet; and 
the other runs into the lode at a depth of a hundred feet. The 
crevice is eight feet wide, and it assays $125.00 per ton. 

There are two stamp mills and one Chilian mill in the district; 
also a large number of other valuable lodes. 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 17 



Manufacturer, "Wholesale and Eetail Dealer in 



Bests ii 




A COMPLETE STOCK KEPT CONSTANTLY ON HAND. 

All Country Orders Promptly Attended to. 

All goods sold by nie are warranted as represented, and 
Satisfaction Guaranteed in all cases. 

Sign of the Big Boot, Wallace Street, Virginia City, M.T. 



DEALER IN 

djloilunjj and cJfitrimfunjj dads, 

IHI.A.TS, CAPS, 

AND 

CALIFORNIA BLANKETS, CANVASS and HYDRAULIC HOSE, 

FOR MIXING PURPOSES. 

Also, a large assortment of Rubber Boots, Coats, etc. Great 
Bargains offered to Wholesale Buyers. 

VIRGIKTIiL CITT, IS/LOTVT^L.lSr^S*. 



Bff©w©ST &»& BalteST* 

JOHN 3MC -A. INT 3ST I3E 33 X 3VE , 

AT HIS OLD STAND, 

WALLACE STREET, VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA. 

Families and bachelors will find it to their advantage to go to this 
popular place for their 

Bread, Pies, Cakes, and All Kinds of Confectionery. 

The Saloon is always supplied with the best of Liquors, Wines and Cigars. Lager 

Beer from the celebrated Montana Brewery always on hand, which will I 

be delivered to all parts of the city and county, in 
bottles or kegs. 

2 



18 

Granite Ckeek District. — This district is four miles north of 
Virginia City, and embraces a number of valuable lodes carrying 
both gold and silver. Among the most noted may be mentioned the 
Mapleton and Kremlin Lodes. The Kremlin Lode is gold bearing, 
easily worked, and yields from $30.00 to $50.00 per ton. The vein 
is from three to four feet wide. The Mapleton Lode was discovered 
May 19th, 1865. There has been two shafts sunk on discovery of 
claim, one at the depth of eighty feet, and the other at the depth 
of sixty-five feet. It is gold and silver bearing, but will be most 
profitably developed as a silver lode. The crevice is fifteen inches 
wide on top, but it constantly widens as it sinks, and has a width 
of four feet at the bottom. Pieces of the rock has been assayed in 
Boston, Mass., with splendid results. One j)iece assayed at the rate 
of $467.02 per ton, and another very common piece assayed at the 
rate of $74.67 per ton. 

There are a number of other lodes in" the district, but the 
developments are too meagre to properly judge of their value. 
There are two mills and several arrastras situated on the creek, and 
are run by water power. 

Silver Belt District. — This district is situated fifteen miles 
west of Virginia City, and embraces quite a number of silver and 
copper bearing lodes, although little has been done to test the 
value of the district. 

Williams' Gulch District contains a number of gold and silver 
bearing lodes, and prominent among them is the Czar of Kussia 
and Stiler Lodes. A shaft fifty feet deep has been sunk on the 
Czar of Russia, and it prospects well. The Stiler Lode has been 
worked to some extent, and it prospects well. 

Bamshorn, Biven's, Harris and California Gulches contain 
quartz lodes that pay remuneratively for reduction, and have 
several mills and arrastras for crushing ore. 

The Pfohl Lode on Biven's Gulch, has a crevice three to four 
feet in width. The ore has been crushed by an arrastra, and the 
yield has been at the rate of from $50.00 to $100.00 per ton. 

The names of the Christiana and Daniel Drew may be mentioned 
as being among the good lodes in Ramshorn. There are some rich 
argentiferous galena lodes in California and Harris Gulches. 

Lodes in Mill Creek District. — The Oro et Plata has shafts 
sunk to a depth of sixty feet, and the lode has been traced to a 
length of two thousand feet. The rock crushes to the value of 
$25.00 per ton, milling process. 

Mountain Queen Lode — Width of crevice two to three feet. Shaft 
has been sunk one hundred and forty feet. Rock crushes $50.00 
per ton. 

Sunrise Lode. — Silver bearing; shafts seventy-two feet down. 
Assays from $100.00 to $200.00 per ton. 

Eclipse Lode. — Gold alloyed with silver. Crevice four feet wide 
and ninety-four feet down. Mills $20.00 per ton. 

JBranham Lode. — Depth of shaft, eighty-five feet. The surface 
quartz has rendered $85.00 per ton. 

Gemmd Lode. — The first lode discovered and recorded in Madi- 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 19 

son county. Length of tunnel forty feet, and the crevice is wider 
than the present length of the tunnel. It consists of silver alloyed 
with gold and lead. The silver assays $80.00 per ton. 

Antelope Lode. — Developments as yet very meagre, but the 
rock is considered to be very rich. The crevice is seventy feet 
down and is four feet in width. 

Lout Lode. — Prospects at the rate of $60.00 and $70.00 per ton. 
The lode can be traced for six hundred feet in each direction from 
discovery. A shaft has been sunk to a depth of twenty feet. 
Miners have made $20.00 per day to the hand, by ground sluicing 
at the foot of a slide on the lode. 

May Flower Lode — but little developed. — Fine strata of galena 
ore ranging in width from two to four feet. Ore has been readily 
smelted in the furnace near by with good results. 

Aurora Lode. — Opened to the depth of ten feet. Crevice is five 
feet wide. Ore from this lode is of a chloride nature and is very 
abundant. 

Lebanon Lode. — Shaft sunk on discovery eighteen feet deep. 
Crevice is from ten to twelve feet wide, and the ore similar to that 
of the May Flower, and are thought by some to be one and the 
same lode, as they are in the same range although half a mile apart. 

Isabella No. 2, is developed to the depth of fifty feet. Shows 
fine body of ore two feet wide all the way down ; water prevented 
further work. Several assays of this ore have been made in New 
York, the lowest of which was $155.00 per ton. It is milling ore, 
and in this respect differs from some of the other lodes in this 
district. 

Ohio Lode. — Depth of shaft, eighteen feet — large amount of 
rich rock in sight which prospects well in gold, but the appearances 
indicate that it will run to silver bearing galena, on further devel- 
opment. 

The Tippecanoe Lode has a strata of galena and antimony 
from six to ten inches wide. Galena will probably be the prevailing 
ore on further development. 

Lodes in Quartz Hill District — Head of Mill Creek : 

Sam Brown Lode. — Width of crevice, three feet — so far as shaft 
has been sunk. Crushes at the rate of $75.00 per ton. 

Paymaster Lode is only partially developed. It has a crevice 
four and one-half feet in width, and its prospects are very 
encouraging. 

Fry Lode — recently discovered — has not been worked to any 
great extent. The rock, so far as crushed, yields $75.00 per ton. 

Martha Compton Lode. — Shaft on discovery one hundred feet 
deep; crevice, three to eight feet in width. Ore, red iron and free 
gold bearing; yields, by milling, the value of $25.00 in coin per 
ton. 

Wisconsin District. — One of the most prominent and best lodes 
in the district is the Company Lode. The crevice is from four to 
six feet wide, and is over a mile in length. There has been three 
shafts sunk, one at the depth of seventy-eight feet, one of fifty feet, 
and the other forty-five feet. It also has long tunnels and drifts. 



20 

There is a six-stamp mill at work on this lode, and two hundred 
tons of the rock have been crushed, which has paid from $10.00 
to $42.00 per ton. 

Hebron Lode has a crevice from eight to ten feet in width. 
Depth of shaft sunk, one hundred feet. Rock assays $60.00 per 
ton. Water power is abundant in all of these districts, and timber 
is very plentiful. $25.00 per ton has been offered for the rock 
as taken from the lode. 

Upper and Lower Silver Star District. — This district has 
proved the most valuable and reliable in the county. 

Iron Rod Lode has a very narrow crevice — only two feet wide — 
but it is exceedingly rich. Eight shafts have been sunk, with 
depths varying from fifty to three hundred and forty feet. Three 
tunnels have been run into the east end of the lode. The length 
of the upper tunnel is two hundred feet; middle tunnel, four hun- 
dred feet; and the lower tunnel, when completed, will be six hun- 
dred and seventy feet in length. The rock yields five ounces of 
gold dust per ton. The lode has been worked for several years — 
the rock being crushed by a twelve-stamp mill, and the yield of 
dust thus far, is estimated to be not less than $200,000.00 

Dr. Toland Lode. — Silver bearing. Shaft has been sunk to a 
depth of one hundred and forty-two feet. It assays at the rate of 
$200.00 per ton. 

Benton Lode. — Gold bearing. Shaft sunk thirty feet; width of 
crevice, two feet. Crushes $30.00 per ton, by the use of an 
arrastra. 

Nugget Lode. — Width of crevice, three feet — gold bearing; 
length of tunnel, five hundred feet; shaft sunk on the pitch of the 
ledge at the depth of two hundred and twenty-five feet. Crushes 
from $30.00 to $50.00 per ton. 

A. D. Richardson Lode. — This is a very long lode, and has a 
number of different owners. Its crevice is four feet wide, and the 
rock crushes at the rate of $25.00 per ton. 

Belle Douglass Lode has a crevice two and one-half feet in width, 
and crushes at the rate of $30.00 per ton. 

Henry Wirgland Lode. — Width of crevice, two and one-half 
feet. Crushes at the rate of $30.00 per ton. 

Lower District. — The Green Campbell Lode was the first lode 
in the county to apply for a patent from the Government. This 
lode has been worked for several years with the aid of a ten-stamp 
mill, and has rendered handsome dividends for the owners. The 
vein indicates permanency as well as value. The vein is from three 
to twelve feet wide, and is quite easily reduced. It yields from 
$20.00 to $30.00 per ton. The mill has "Horn Pans" attached. 

Bedford Lode has a vein three feet wide, and its rock yields 
five ounces of dust to the ton. 

Tom Benton Lode is seventy feet down, width of crevice forty 
feet. Rock yields $20.00 per ton. 

Walrusha Lode bears silver and copper mixed with gold. It 
assays $87.00 per ton in silver; $12.00 per ton in gold, and $37.00 
per ton in copper. 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 21 



HUSSEY, DAHLER & CO MP NY 

{ BANK E RS, ) 

VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA, 

Buy and Sell Exchange, Gold Dust, Coin and Territorial Securities. 

CORRESPONDENTS : 

Allen, Stephens & Co., New York ; Bank of California, San Francisco ; Bartholow, Lewis & Co., 

St. Louis, Mo.; First National Bank, Salt Lake City, Utah ; First National Bank, 

Chicago ; Hussey, Dahler & Co., Corinne ; Fox, Lystcr & Roe, 

Helena, M . T. ; Donnell, Clark & Larabie, Deer Lodge, M.T. 

Sell exchange upon all parts of Europe. Make collections in all parts of Montana 

and the States. 



sit. Za. dabhm, 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL 

Druggist and Apothecary, 

Keeps constantly on hand 

DRUGS, CHEMICALS, PERFUMERY and FANCY ARTICLES 

Also, keeps constantly on hand, a complete assortment of 

Patent Rfiedicines, at the City Drug Store, 

WALLACE S THE 'JET, VIRGIXIA CITY, M. T. 



§ recall MttRitbm PaSdl to> <&®mi$>Qm&m% PpeseHptHarast 



Wholesale and Retail Dealer in 

§x\\p, (ttfamxmU, f Atmt ^n\uhm f 

PAINTS, OILS, WINDOW GLASS, 

Stationery, Perfumery, Toilet and Fancy Articles, 

COAL OIL LAMPS AND FIXTURES, 

And everything usually kept in a first-class Drug House. All of which I offer to the 
trade as low as they can be bought in the Territory. Physician's pre- 
scriptions carefully compounded at all hours. 



22 

Dr. Everett Lode. — Width of crevice, five feet. Two shafts have 
been sunk, one twenty-five, the other forty feet deep. The rock 
crushes at the rate of $50.00 per ton. 

Broadway Lode. — Developments as yet very meagre, but the 
indications are that it will pay very remunerative prices for 
reduction. 

East Silver Star District. — This district is on the east side of 
the Jefferson River, nearly opposite Lower Silver Star. It con- 
tains a number of lodes of argentiferous galena, but as yet they are 
very sparcely developed. Temporary furnaces for smelting the ore 
have been erected. 

There are a large number of silver lodes a few miles below this 
district, but for the most part they remain unworked and unde- 
veloped. Among them is the Congress Lode, which has a shaft 
sunk upon it twenty-five feet deep. It has a five foot crevice and 
the rock assays at the rate of $185.00 per ton. 

Meadow Creek District is situated twenty miles northeast of 
Virginia, and embraces a large number of gold bearing lodes. One 
of the most valuable is the Mother Hendricks, which has a ten- 
stamp mill attached. Its vein is from one to four feet wide. The 
ore is hard to reduce but it pays remuneratively. 

Upper and Lower Hot Spring District. — This district during 
the years of 1865-66-67 stood in the foremost rank, but misman- 
agement, inexperienced operators and other causes have caused it 
to recede very much from its early prosperity. But the day is 
approaching when it will regain its original standing as it embraces 
an immense number of valuable lodes. Among the most noted 
may be mentioned the names of the Galena, Woodruff and Beach, 
Old Mortality, Pony, Eising Sun, Sterling, North, Red Bluff, Boaz, 
Opula, Golden Echo, Blue Lead, Convoy, Thad. Stevens, Velocipede, 
Pine Tree, Calaveras, Homeward Bound and Primrose. The Pony 
has been explored to considerable depth, yielding fair returns; so, 
also, has the Galena. Large expenditures have been made on the 
Woodruff and Beach in sinking deep shafts. The Boaz a few 
years since yielded largely, as also the Convoy. The owners of 
the Red Bluff have applied for a patent, and at present this lode, 
which is very promising, is considered the most valuable in the 
district. It has been explored to a depth of over a hundred feet 
and has a strong, well defined vein, varying from two to six feet* in 
width, yielding free gold in amounts from $30.00 to more than 
$100.00 per ton. There are also an immense number of other lodes 
in the district, but the majority of than are in a low state of 
development. The district contains five mills and a goodly number 
of arrastras. 

Norwegian Gulch is included in this district, and has its share 
of valuable lodes, among which may be mentioned the Rising Sun, 
Purdy, Purdy Extension and Bill Norton. The Purdy has a rich 
crevice two and one-half feet in width. The Purdy Extension 
piosj^cts exceeding!}' well. The Bill Norton has a rich crevice 
five feet in width. 

We take pleasure in publishing the following intelligent letter, 



MONTANA. 23 

recently received from an experienced and successful quartz miner 
in this district, as it shows, very clearly, not only the condition of 
lodes in this locality, but the general situation of quartz lodes 
throughout the entire county : 

" In regard to the quartz ledges of the Norwegian portion of 
Hot Spring District, I must say that their development, to any great 
extent, is very limited. This sparceness of development arises 
from two reasons: first, want of capital; secondly, owing to the 
great number of separate interests held in each lode. These, 
however, are the tw T o predominant obstacles throughout the terri- 
tory. As for number of lodes and most splendid indications, both 
for permanency and value, so far as development has been carried, 
this section is second to none in Montana. I have just counted, 
within an area of three miles, sixteen lodes presenting indications 
sufficiently favorable for capital to act upon, yet nothing is being- 
done toward their development. In addition to those named, there 
are two or three times that number that do not look so favorably, 
yet, with a little work, they may prove as good as the best. The 
Rising Sun is the only lode developed to any extent in this 
district. The shaft is now about one hundred and five feet deep, with 
two levels at the depth of seventy -five feet each way from the shaft. 
The size of vein at discovery, was fifteen inches, which has 
gradually increased to a width of four feet and six inches, at its 
present depth. The ledge passes down almost perpendicularly, 
and has not closed or capped at any point thus far. Water level, 
ninety feet. The well defined look of the vein, and the mineral 
bearing appearance of the quartz at the surface, were the chief 
promptings in prosecuting its development, as the rock prospected 
very little. It, however, gradually improved in quality as in 
quantity, and at seventy-five feet yielded $18.00 per ton, while 
the rock now taken out at a depth of one hundred and five feet, 
will yield $40.00 to $50.00 per ton/' 

Willow Creek District is thirty- eight miles northeast of Virginia 
City, and has a goodly number of valuable quartz lodes, but, like 
many in other districts, they are yet undeveloped. Some of the 
best lodes are the Mallory, TJ. S. Mallory, Star Spangled Banner, 
Red, White and Blue, and Vermont. There has been shafts and 
prospect holes sunk on all of these lodes, and they promise well. 
The last named lode has one of the finest appearing crevices in the 
territory. The Autocrat Lode, in this district, has been traced for 
a distance of several miles. 

Rochester District, situated forty miles northwest of Virginia, 
contains a number of gold and silver bearing lodes. The most 
promising among them are the Watseka, Pareppa, Julia Holmes 
and Day Lodes. Ore from the Day Lode has been sold at $100.00 
per ton. All of these lodes are situated within a few miles of the 
^celebrated Viponcl Lodes, in Deer Lodge county, the ore of which 
sells, from the dump, for $40.00 and $50.00 per ton, and pays a 
handsome profit for reduction. 

We have not endeavored to give the names of all the lodes in 
the county, nor to give full particulars relative to those enumerated 
in the different districts — such a work would fill a large volume. 



24 

There are hundreds and hundreds of lodes in the county upon 
which, as yet, no work has been performed, and when they are 
fully developed they may be surpassed by none others. We have 
mentioned the names of a sufficient number of lodes and have 
given reliable statistics pertaining to the results of labor expended 
on them, to furnish material and tangible evidence of the abundance 
of rich quartz and of the profits pertaining to its reduction. 
Certain, it is, that the restless spirit of progress and improvement 
of the present age will not allow the precious deposits of gold and 
silver to long remain undisturbed amid earth and rock. 

The same enterprise and skill which lays the electric wire on the 
bed of oceans; builds railroads which traverse the broad plains and 
prairies of our western country, which span rapid, turbulent 
streams, and girdle precipitous mountains; which tunnels mighty 
rivers and deep inland seas, will, most probably, find a plan to 
profitably extract gold and silver from the mountains, even where it 
is hidden within its most deep and intricate recesses, and when this 
section of the county receives the Northern Pacific Railroad, there 
will be an activity, development and prosperity, in these quartz 
mining camps that will be without precedent in the histoiy of the 
county. 

PLACER MINING. 



Gold was first discovered in Madison county, in Alder Gulch, 
early in the summer of 1863,by William Fairweather, Barney Hughes, 
Thomas Cover and others. The discovery was accidental. They 
were traveling to Bannack, Beaver Head county and were in 
camp on Alder Creek, taking rest and refreshments, when one of 
the number took a notion to try a pan of the dirt, which proved to 
be exceedingly rich. Excitements and stampedes followed. The 
gulch swarmed with busy miners; towns grew up along the creek, 
large business houses were erected, immense stocks of goods were 
brought to the country, and all kinds of business immediately rose 
to the zenith of prosperity. Several years ago it was estimated 
that thirty ($30,000,000.00) millions of dollars had been taken from 
this gulch. There are some, however, familiar with the circum- 
stances, who think this estimate a little extravagant. The stream 
rises in the Tobacco Root mountains, near Mount Baldy; flows in a 
northwesterly course, is sixteen miles in length, and empties into 
the Passamari River. The course was so strongly marked by tall 
Alder bushes at the time of discovery, it naturally took the name 
of Alder Creek. There is not now so large a number as formerly 
mining on this creek for the following reasons : Many have made 
fortunes and retired to enjoy them; other rich diggings were 
discovered which drew away numbers of a restless, roving dispo- 
sition. But the chief reason for many leaving is, that in order to 
get the full benefit of the water privileges it was found necessary 
to put in long flumes and side ditches, which caused many of the 
miners to form themselves into companies and buy up a number of 
the smaller claims. The gulch is by no means exhausted. It is 
to-day one of the richest gulches in the mountains. Small strips 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 25 

of mining ground are being constantly sold in it at prices varying 
from $1,000.00 to $40,000.00. Last year a piece of ground 
2700x300 feet was sold by Mr. John E. Main to a China company 
for $40,000.00. A piece of mining ground, owned by Messrs. S. 
Crockett and Philip Conery, 2500x300 feet, is valued at $20,000.00. 
The miners make on average ten dollars per day by the process of 
ground sluicing, and when the ground is mined by the aid of a 
flume, very much more is realized. It will be years and years before 
the good paying mining ground in this creek will be worked out. 
In an early day there were but few practical miners in the gulch, 
and the richest grounds were inefficiently mined. In the spring and 
summer of 1865 the gulch was flooded by the melting snow on the 
mountains, and it is only recently that it has been thoroughly 
re-opened. What was considered the rich streak of the gulch has 
been worked out, but so carelessly and inefficiently, that at bed 
rock the gold deposit is as rich as ever; and there are acres and 
acres of ground which has never been opened, that will pay from 
$8.00 to $12.00 per day to the hand. A year ago Messrs. Jasper 
Wright & Co. bought of Col. William McKoberts, Allen Thomas and 
others, about fifteen hundred square feet of ground for $2,500.00. 
The ground was considered as nearly valueless by many of the 
miners, but a little work upon it proved to the contrary. Last 
summer Messrs. Wright & Co. took out gold enough to net them 
$7,000.00, after paying all expenses. Sometimes a pretty nearly 
correct estimate can be made upon the value of mining ground and 
the expense for working it. The ground referred to as belonging 
to Messrs. Crockett and Conery is estimated to contain $150,000.00, 
and the probable cost for developing it is placed at $50,000.00. It 
is but fair to presume that this claim is no richer than many others 
on the creek. 

The first two of the following mining gulches are tributaries of 
Alder Creek, the others are eastern tributaries of the Passamari 
Kiver. They have bountiful supplies of timber and are all good 
milling streams. We give particulars which we consider reliable in 
regard to them, but in most cases we have found it impossible to 
obtain a correct estimate of the gold dust taken from them : 

Granite Greek. — This stream is ten miles in length and has one 
tributary, Velocipede G-ulch, which is a mile long. These placers 
are not particularly rich but they have almost an endless amount of 
ground that will pay from $2.00 to $3.00 per day to the miner. 
Probably some company will take hold of this creek, put in some 
mining improvements and cause it to yield many fortunes. 

Brown's Gulch. — This has many improvements to facilitate the 
business of mining, and has yielded a large amount of gold dust. 
The gulch is seven miles in length and contains an extensive amount 
of ground yet un worked that will pay miners from $5.00 to $10.00 
per day for taking out dust. 

Bamshom Gulch is fourteen miles in length and has a tributary, 
Currant Gulch, flowing in from the north. Diggings that will pay 
from $5.00 to $6.00 per day are plentiful on the main stream and on 
the tributary. 



26 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 



JAMES F. BROWN, Virginia City, M. T. 



GEO. W. BROWN, Denver, Colorado. 



BANKING HOUSE OF 

James F. Brown & Comp'y 

Dealers in Domestic and Foreign Rxchange 

GOLD DUST, BULLION, COIN, 
AGRICULTURAL COLLEGE SCRIP AND LAND WARRANTS, 

Money Loaned and a General Banting Business Transacted. Collections 
promptly attended to. Special attention given to supplying Agricul- 
tural College Scrip and Land Warrants to settlers. 



JAMES E. CALLAWAY, 

Office adjoining Secretary of 
Territory, 

VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA TERRITORY. 
Will Practice in the Courts of Record in 
Montana and give prompt attention to all 
business intrusted to his care. 



Particular attention given to 

Collections, Drafting Deeds, Mortgages, 

CONTRACTS, 

POWERS OF ATTORNEY, ETC., ETC. 



HE If MY IT. BLAKE, 

AND 

GO U MS E LOR AT LAW 

Office on Wallace St,, 

VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA TERRITORY. 



Will Practice in all Courts of Montana. 



A.TTOPIMBT 

AND 

COUNSELOR AT LAW, 

Office on Main St., 

HELENA, MONTANA TER. 



WILL PRACTICE IN ALL THE COURTS OF 
RECORD IN MONTANA. 



W. W. DE LACY, 

CIVIL ENGINEER, 

SURVEYOR, 

ID FLA.UG- HCT3 M AKT 

AND 

Helena, IVEontana. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 27 

California Gulch. — The principal tributary to this gulch is King- 
Creek, which comes in from the south side, and contains some 
ground which is very rich in spots. But it has never been thoroughly 
prospected, and mining to no great extent has been performed. 
The main gulch is very rich and many valuable nuggets have been 
found. In one instance a nugget was taken out which weighed 
fourteen ounces. At the commencement of mining in this gulch, 
miners working near its mouth realized $200.00 per day to the hand. 
There is a large amount of ground yet unworked which prospects 
well and will no doubt pay handsomely for opening. 

Harris Gulch runs in a westerly course and is twelve miles long. 
It has tributaries on either side that are considered rich. This 
gulch produces a very pure quality of gold dust, and has a large 
extent of unworked mining ground. 

Biven's Gulch. — Its tributaries on the north side are Humbug, 
Johnson and Arastra Creeks. In Humbug Creek diggings have 
paid from $10.00 to $12.00 per day, by the use of a rocker, and, 
in some instances, $60.00 per day by the process of ground 
sluicing. 

The ground on Johnson Creek is very rich, and has paid 
splendidly. In Arastra Creek, two men took out $1,200.00 during 
one winter, at the most difficult time to prosecute the business. 
DeLacy and Brasal Creeks flow in from the south. Very rich spots 
have been found on DeLacy Creek, but it has not been extensively 
worked. In Brasal Creek a miner recently took out a $1,000.00 in 
four weeks. Biven's Gulch has been considered nearly the equal 
of Alder for richness, and many decades will pass ere it ceases to 
yield the, precious dust. Last summer a miner, with the assistance 
of a few employees, took $6,000.00 from the ground on the main 
gulch. 

Mill Creek has two tributaries, one coming in on either side, 
that contains good placer mining. In one of them, Quartz Hill 
Creek, a number of coarse pieces of gold have been found, but the 
bed rock is too deep to work advantageously, as is also the case 
with the main stream. The other tributary, Spring Gulch, contains 
some good placer mining. 

Wisconsin Creek. — There is much ground on this creek that will 
pay the miners handsome wages for digging. There is a large 
amount of ground known as Bim Rock Diggings, which is very rich 
in spots, and along the foothills of the mountains in the vicinity 
are scores of acres that prospect well. 

Mining Gulches Tributary to the Upper Passamari: 

Meade's Gulch. — This gulch has a large extent of rich mining 
ground, and many of the mining improvements in the way of 
flumes, ditches, etc. A large amount of gold dust was taken out 
last year. The gulch has tributaries which have never been 
prospected. 

Idaho Gulch has placers that are moderately rich. Its discovery, 
in 1864, was followed by a wild stampede. At that time miners 
and mechanics expected $16.00 per day for all kinds of labor, and 
the ground was not rich enough to justify such expenditures. At 



28 KESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

the present prices of labor and provisions, money can be made by 
working the ground. 

The East Passamari contains some placer mines, but the work 
upon them has been very slight. There is also some good bar 
mining on the main river below the second canyon. 

Willow Creek (branch of Jefferson.) — There are some little gulches 
tributary to this creek which contain good mining ground, and 
along the main creek is a large extent of mining ground from 
which a large amount of money has been taken. Some of the 
ground pays as high as $10.00 per day, andgthe gold dust, which is 
of fine quality, sells for $18.25 per ounce. A company have 
recently commenced work on the mining ground, at the lower end 
of the creek, under the superintendency of L. C. Woodruff. They 
have been very fortunate thus far, and have flattering prospects. 

There is a large extent of unworked mining ground which will 
pay small wages and will last for years. 

Norwegian Gulch. — The gulch or placer mining is conducted on 
a limited scale on account of the scarcity of water. By the aid of 
a small ditch from Willow Creek, three companies are able to work 
through the season. About one mile and a-half in length of the 
gulch and bars is paying small wages — about $2.50 to $3.00 per 
day. With an abundance of water, double these wages could be 
made and several side gulches and bars would pay equally well. 
About two hundred and forty acres have been taken up under the 
mineral land act. As in quartz capital, capital would find in this 
field of mineral interests compensatory investments, as there is 
work for many years to come. The amount of gold taken from 
Norwegian Gulch is placed at $150,000.00. 

Wigwam Gulch. — This is tributary to the Madison river, and 
when discovered the indications were that its placers were exceedingly 
rich. A company consisting of the most prominent gentlemen in 
Virginia, was organized to develop the mines. They put in a long- 
flume and were at a large expense for opening the ground. They 
did not immediately realize their golden expectations and ceased 
their operations. As near as can be calculated the ground will pay 
on an average $2.75 per day to the hand. The gulch is considered 
as good property, and will no doubt be thoroughly worked in the 
course of a few years. 

Rochester Gulch. — On this tributary of the Jefferson, there are 
some placer mines from which a large amount of gold dust has 
been taken, and there is yet much good mining ground unworked 
and undeveloped. 

Washington Bar. — This includes the upper portion of Meadow 
Creek, and has been a very lively mining camp. There is a large 
amount of ground yet unworked, that will pay from $3.00 to $10.00 
per day for developing. 

In noticing the prospects of placer mining, we have given no 
extravagant estimates. There are thousands of acres of mining 
ground that will pay handsomely for working, and no doubt upon 
the arrival of the Northern Pacific Eailroad, whiflh will necessarily 
cheapen the prices of all miner's supplies, this vacant ground will 
be carefully worked, and, by this means, a goodly number will be 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 29 

enabled to place themselves in very comfortable circumstances, 
while others will accumulate princely fortunes. 

MADISON VALLEY. 



This is the largest and most sparsely settled tract of country 
in the county. It is eighty-six miles in length, on an average 
seven miles in width. It has quite a lengthy canyon near its 
lower terminus, but above this canyon is an area of three 
hundred square miles. It is enclosed by some of the grandest and 
most picturesque mountains in the Territory, which are thrown up 
in every conceivable shape and form; now presenting an even im- 
penetrable surface; now rough, rugged and broken, utterly discom- 
fited in the attempt to form an impervious barrier; now torn and 
rent asunder by some irresistible torrent, violently rushing through 
its narrow and shattered defile as if in tumultuous haste to escape 
from the fortress in which it had been so long imprisoned. They 
have here and there dense forests of evergreen timber, large lakes 
resting on their extensive plateaus, and now and then an elevated 
peak crowned with eternal snows. 

The Madison Kiver, the most rapid and voluminous stream in the 
county, rolls majestically through its extensive domain constantly 
gathering fresh pride and strength as its numerous affluents on 
either side contribute their contents to its volume and momentum. 
When the river leaves the main valley it passes through a canyon — 
an egress formed by its own resistless waters, fifteen miles in length. 
At the end of this passage way the mountains recede again in the 
distance and the river sweeps through a wide valley ere it unites 
with the Jefferson and Gallatin in forming the " Mighty Missouri." 
Below the canyon the valley is very nearly filled with stock 
growers; but in the upper valley there is room for thousands. 
Colonies can settle here, and be surrounded by the material 
elements of prosperity. There are hot and sulphur springs 
scattered along at intervals nearly the entire length of the country; 
warm streams of water from one to six miles in length never cease 
their flow; the earth " bringeth forth abundantly of her increase;" 
the rivulets wash over golden sands, and the apparently everlasting- 
mountains contains treasure to fill to overflowing the hands of 
industry. On the east side of the river, are Jordan, Jack, Cedar, 
Bear, Wolf, Indian and other streams which head up in the moun- 
tains amid thick timber, contain brook and bass trout. They flow 
through the fertile bench lands, where numberless ranches can be 
obtained, watered and improved with but comparatively little 
expense. There are a number of springs at the head of Bear 
Creek, but it receives the most of its waters from the melting snow — 
is about twenty miles in length, contains nearly enough water to 
float a steamboat during the time it would be required for irriga- 
tion, but most of it evaporates or sinks into the bed of the creek 
when summer is past. There is a peculiar root growing in this 
vicinity, known as lhawega or Indian flour. Formerly the Indians 
gathered it in quantities, from two hundred to a thousand pounds. 



30 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

They use it for food, and it will keep in good condition for two or 
three years after it is taken from the ground. "When the outside 
rind is taken off, it is sometimes eaten without further preparation, 
but if beaten fine and mixed with water it will thicken and make a 
nutritive, though coarse kind of bread. 

Jack Creek is the largest tributary on the east side. It contains 
an abundance of timber, outcroppings of stone, coal and silver 
ledges, and on either side is a vast extent of vacant fertile lands — 
plenty of room for settlements. On the west side are Wigwam, 
More Warm Meadow and other streams which flow through a large 
tract of arable land, and offer fine opportunities to the tillers of the 
soil. 

Among those who have fitted up ranches and homes, reflecting 
much credit upon themselves and beauty to the valley, we might 
mention the n^mes of Geo. Watkins, H. Maynard, Wm. Mitchell, 
A. W. Switzer, Ray Woodworth, Wm. Ennis, J. F. Hayden and 
others. Hon. O. C. W 7 hitney, one of the present members of the 
legislature, has one of the best conducted ranches in the valley. 
It is situated on Warm and Odell Creeks. Mr. Whitney has raised 
as high as seventy-five bushels of wheat to the acre. He milks 
forty cows, which bring in an increase of thirty-five calves 
annually, and furnish milk and cream enough to enable him to 
manufacture on an average one hundred and fifty pounds of 
butter per week, the year round. One year this farm, from all 
sources, made the handsome profit of $7,000.00. 

Four miles above Whitney's, is the thrifty hay and stock ranch 
of George Thexton. This ranch was fenced and improved by 
Charles Johnson, who commenced work here a few years ago with 
no capital, and was obliged to struggle with all the difficulties 
attending the life of a pioneer. He recently sold this ranch, 
consisting of three hundred and twenty acres, with valuable 
improvements, together with a large band of cattle, and retires to 
enjoy a nice fortune his industry and economy has secured for 
him. Adjoining this place is the ranch of the hunter and trapper 
known as " English George," who does a remunerative business in 
selling game and fish taken from the valley. A short distance 
further up the stream is the stock ranch and dairy of Messrs. 
Cooley & Bickford, which has been conducted with eminent 
success, and is one of the best stock ranches in the county, as it 
has the benefit of a warm stream of water constantly flowing 
through it. 

It is generally believed that a branch from the Utah Northern 
Railroad will find its way into Madison county within two or three 
years. It will, most probably, come via Soda Springs and over the 
divide at Henry's Lake, which will cause its iron track to be laid 
nearly the entire length of the valley. The developments, progress 
and general improvements, which attend the footsteps of these 
mighty improvements are familiar to all who have witnessed their 
beneficent effects as they have been scattered broadcast in the 
spacious empire of our western countiy. But the impetus given to 
life and prosperity will be more signal here when the valley, as yet 
accustomed only to the tinkling of the stock-bell, is awakened by 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 31 

the engineer sounding the tocsin of his approach and departure; 
and the hills, which not long ago echoed back the savage notes of 
the Indian war-whoop, resounds to the more shrill and piercing 
scream of the locomotive. 

Meadow Creek. — This creek, one of the tributaries of the Madison, 
is situated twenty miles from Virginia City; is twenty miles in 
length, rises in the Tobacco Koot Mountains and flows in a westerly 
course to the river. It has some very rich quartz lodes and placer 
mines. It is properly named Meadow, as the early spring spreads 
its green mantle over an extensive scope of adjacent country, and 
the growth of sweet and nutritious grasses are very exuberant. 
The soil is unsurpassed for fertility, and this section claims credit 
for having produced some of the finest and prettiest grain ever seen 
in the mountains. There is a plentiful supply of timber on the 
creek, and of a kind and quality well adapted for all the wants and 
purposes of farmers and miners. A few observations taken here 
will show that the county is pre- eminently superior for stock raising 
and dairying. Farmers in this locality have no hesitation in stating 
that the wild native grasses are of a far superior quality than any of 
the cultivated grasses ever raised in the States. Cows that feed upon 
it give exceedingly rich milk— so rich that sometimes it requires 
much extra care in manufacturing the butter. The farmers are 
very thrifty and prosperous. Among those who are giving attention 
to raising grain and vegtables is Mr. S. D. Pimckny, who is noted 
for raising large crops and for having them early in the market. 
This is a good place to raise all kinds of fowls, especially turkeys, 
as it requires but little labor to take care of them and they sell very 
readily for $8.00 apiece during the holiday season. 

Mr. Don. O. Spalding, Mr. Church and Messrs. Allen & Shin- 
gleton, are engaged in manufacturing cheese, and its superior 
quality is fast gaining an extensive reputation. This branch of 
business is assuming much importance in the territory and will 
soon confirm the opinion that has been so of ten expressed : "that 
New York will soon find Montana a formidable competitor in 
supplying the trade with this staple commodity." Last summer 
Mr. Spalding milked twenty-two cows, and besides making a hand- 
some amount of butter, manufactured seven thousand pounds of 
excellent cheese. The cows of Mr. Spalding rendered him an 
income and profit of $100.00 per head last year, without counting 
the inciease — proceeds of butter and cheese. 

There are three saw mills and one quartz mill on the creek, and 
as it is an excellent milling stream, as the country becomes settled, 
its waters will probably be used to turn wheels for mills of various 
kinds. If the branch railroad from the Utah Northern Kailroad 
comes down the Madison, as expected, it will cross Meadow Creek, 
and no doubt a town of some importance will grow up in the 
vicinity. These improvements with the developments of its placers 
and quartz lodes, will furnish a good home market for all kinds of 
produce. There is a large amount of vacant tillable land south of 
the creek, which will have to be irrigated by water from the 
Madison Eiver. On the north side there are thousands of acres 
land of par excellence, which is yet tenantless, and can be irrigated 



32 PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 

Hubert A BeMMWt 

mOttHETOBS OF 

VTRGIITXA CITY BUEWEEY, 

AND DEALEKS IN 

B^EWE^S' SUPPLIES. 



p*M~ We manufacture a prime article of beer, which we deliver through- 
out the county .-t^ 



CILMER A SALISBURY, 

f ¥4314 S¥4»B MSI 

CARRYING THE U. 8. MAILS, 

AND 

Daily from Corinne Depot, C. P. R. R., to Virginia City, Helena, Deer Lodge 
and all other points in the Territory. Quick time and reduced fare. 

©=■ TICKETS FOR SALE AT ALL PRINCIPAL TICKET OFFICES IN THE EAST.^ 



* 



STAR STABLES, 

Wallace St., Virginia City, M. T. 



OF FEED AND BEST OF CARE AND ATTENTION. 



Charges Moderate. Number One Turnouts furnished at Short Notice. 

GEORGE THEXTON, PROPRIETOR. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 33 

by water from the creek, and by the use of artesian wells. There 
is* much that is attractive and pleasant in the natural scenery. 
Towards the source of the streams, beautiful lakes are cradled in 
the mountains, and the general make-up of the mountains, with 
the rolling meadows for miles at their base, are very pleasing to 
the sight in summer, and cannot be passed with disregard in mid- 
winter. 



WILLOW CEEEK VALLEY. 



This valley, at once one of the most beautiful and 
charming in the mountains, is situated thirty-eight miles 
northeast of Virginia City. The waters of the creek rise in 
the Tobacco Boot range of mountains and flow in a northeasterly 
course to the Jefferson Eiver. On either side of the stream, as it 
winds and flows through its passageway from the mountains, dame 
nature, seemingly as if to provide for the habitation and cultivation 
of the tens of thousands of acres of rich arable lands, which lie for 
forty miles from the foothills, has implanted and caused the growth 
of an exuberant supply of timber. Thousands of acres of splendid 
timber for the purposes of building, fencing and mining, stand as 
yet in their primeval solitude, awaiting the industry of the chopper 
and hewer to be turned to profitable use. There are no saw mills 
at present on the creek but some will soon be started as the mill 
sites are excellent and the supply of timber exhaustless. The 
stream has fine milling power and it will probably not be long 
before its waters will be turning for flouring, woolen and quartz 
mills. The valley is surrounded with quartz lodes and contains 
some good placers. When the rock from the lodes is crushed — as 
it certainly will be, and probably at no distant day — a goodly 
number of non-producers will be employed, which will create a 
good home market for all of the produce raised in the vicinity. 
The yield of all kinds of vegetables is very prolific. Grain does 
extremely well and rewards the husbandman with bountiful harvests. 
Strawberries, gooseberries, raspberries and cheiries are natives of 
the soil and grow spontaneously. They all attain a prodigious size 
and can be gathered by the wagon loads in the summer season. 
The land is being rapidly taken up. Twelve thousand acres have 
already been pre-empted, and two thousand acres have been taken 
as homesteads. This, however, is but a small proportion compared 
with the land that is yet tenantless and vacant. This valley has the 
advantages of a local land office, which is conducted by Mr. M. 
Hanley, who will take pleasure in answering all letters seeking 
information pertaining to the pre-emption of land or purchase of 
farms. The citizens represent nearly every State in the Union, and 
are a thrifty, enterprising class of people. They have recently made 
arrangements for the construction of a fine two-story stone building 
for educational purposes, which is tangible evidence of their high 
moral worth, and of intentions to become permanently located. 
To better show the productiveness of the soil and the special 
■edvantages for raising stock, we give the following particulars to 
3 



34 

four of the farms, commencing with the ranch of one of the present 
County Commissioners, 

H. H. Mood, Esq. 

This place consists of four hundred acres, and is being arranged 
for the special purpose of raising hay and stock. Every year Mr. 
Mood sows more or less grass seed, consisting of timothy, clover, 
and red top — he will soon have some of the most luxuriant meadow 
and pasture lands in the county. The average yield of hay at present 
is one and a-half tons per acre. The growth of timothy is remarkable, 
as its average height is four feet, and often spots in the meadow are 
found where it will measure five feet eight inches. About seventy- 
five acres of the farm are ploughed annually for raising grain and 
vegetables. The yield of wheat and rye averages thirty bushels per 
acre. The stalks of rye in some instances have measured seven feet 
eight inches. Potatoes have yielded three hundred bushels per acre, 
but the average yield year after year is one hundred and fifty bushels. 
Melons, cucumbers and all kinds of garden vegetables find there 
element, and yield abundantly. Turnips grow to a prodigious 
size— the weight of a rutabaga raised not long ago, was twenty- 
eight pounds, and two hundred bushels selected from one of the 
crops, rendered an average weight of fifteen pounds to a rutabaga. 
This farm is fitted up in excellent style, and contains more buildings 
than many of the western towns. They consist of dwellings, 
granaries, stables, meat houses, carpenter and blacksmith shops. 
Mr. Mood takes pride in raising fancy stock, and, to accomplish this 
end, is introducing the Durham species. He has yearling heifers 
that will weigh four hundred pounds, and two-year-olds that will 
weigh six hundred pounds dressed. He also has some very fine 
colts and horses that grew up on the farm. 

Four miles further down, and on the north fork of the stream, 
is the ranch of 

A. W. Paul. 

This is a very choice location — the farm consists of three 
hundred and twenty acres, is watered by four streams, Willow 
Creek and three of its tributaries. The farm is inclosed by the 
most durable and substantial kind of fencing, and the dwelling, 
farm buildings and surroundings impresses the visitor at once with 
the painstaking and care of the industrious proprietor. Mr. Paul 
takes pride in having his farm and improvements looking neat and 
tidy, partly on account of the good appearance of things, but more 
especially because the labor required to keep everything in order 
always pays. Wheat and rye raised on the ranch yield thirty 
bushels per acre. The wheat will weigh sixty-two pounds, and the 
rye fifty-eight pounds to the bushel. There were places in the 
wheat field last year where the stalks of wheat measured six feet 
seven inches in height, and the average height of the oat 
stalks was nearly six feet. Potatoes yield two hundred bushels 
per acre. Cabbages, cucumbers, melons, beans, peas, etc., are 
raised in abundance. In one year, from one-quarter of an acre of 
ground, $480.00 worth of cabbages were sold, and some of them 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 35 

weighed twenty-six pounds per head. There is no end to the 
growth of turnips. One year a crop of two acres were sown, but 
they were not all gathered, and as near as could be estimated, the 
yield was two thousand bushels per acre. Many of them weighed 
twenty-three pounds each. A speciality is made of raising swine. 
Peas are considered to be the best and cheapest kind of feed for 
fattening pork, and here it is but very little trouble to raise them. 
They are sown broad-cast, and the yield is seventy-five bushels per 
acre. Last year Mr. Paul obtained seventy -five tons of excellent 
hay from the wild grass lands, and the only expense connected 
with it was simply the cutting. A small portion of the farm 
has been sown with clover and timothy, and they promise to 
yield two tons of hay per acre. An extensive dairy has been conducted 
on this farm, but the proprietor is now giving attention to raising 
stock. In the year 1868 he milked seventy cows regularly; manu- 
factured and found quick sales for four thousand pounds of butter. 
There is a large herd of cattle on the ranch which thrive on the 
rich grasses, and keep in fat condition. There is one two-year-old 
that will weigh eight hundred pounds dressed. The horses raised 
here are as good as the average raised in the States, and among 
them we noticed one two-year-old colt that would weigh one 
thousand pounds. This ranch is a good specimen of what can be 
raised by volunteer crops in Madison county. Four years ago a 
few acres of oats were sown, and a crop has been gathered from 
the ground every year since — four harvests from one seed time. 
Two years ago a crop of wheat was sown, and last year a harvest 
of twenty-five bushels per acre was gathered. On the second year 
it received no attention of any kind until harvest time. 

At the base of the mountains on the south fork of Willow 
Creek is the ranch of the 

Boyer Brothers. 

" Here we have butter as fresh as virgin gold, 
And milk from cows that can a tail unfold, 
With bovine pride; fresh laid eggs whose praise 
Is sung by pullets with their morning lays; 
Trout from the brook, good water from the well, 
And other blessings more than I can tell." 

The farm consists of three hundred and twenty acres and is con- 
ducted as a dairy, hay and stock ranch. The south fork of the 
creek flows through the ranch and a number of jumping, frisky 
streams come rushing down the mountains bringing a plentiful 
supply of water for irrigation. There is an abundance of wild 
fruit. One summer four hundred quarts of wild strawberries were 
gathered and half of them were sold in Virginia City for $1.00 per 
quart. Splendid gooseberries of enormous size are very prolific 
and usually in the fruit season raspberries can be gathered by the 
thousands of pounds. The yield of all kinds of produce is very- 
fruitful. Potatoes yield from four to six hundred bushels per acre. 
Tomatoes, pumpkins, cucumbers, melons, Indian corn, are raised 
with but little labor. The wild grass makes two tons of choice 



36 

hay to the acre. The cows which are fed on nothing but grass or hay 
render five pounds of prime butter per head, a week. Small grain 
will yield from thirty-five to forty bushels per acre, one year after 
another. The portion of the creek flowing through the ranch 
abounds with delicious trout, and a short distance up the moun- 
tains sheep, elk, pheasants and grouse can be obtained by hunting. 
The present proprietors purchased the place from James M. Grant, 
and paid $5,500.00 for the ranch with some stock and improve- 
ments in mid-winter, at a time when money is scarce and it is hard 
work to dispose of property. 

Five miles below the Boyer Brothers, on the same fork of the 
creek, is the ranch of ex-County Commissioner, 

H. C. Harrison, 

Who is one of the most scientific farmers in Montana. Mr. 
Harrison has farmed in Minnesota and has lived at many different 
places in the Mississippi Valley, between that State and Natchez. 
He is now permanently located on Willow Creek and firmly believes 
that there is balm in Montana. He raises all kinds of grain. Last 
year he sowed sixty bushels of Norway oats and harvested one 
thousand seven hundred and twenty-two bushels; sowed forty 
bushels of wheat and harvested eight hundred and seventy-six 
bushels; from twenty-three bushels of Montana rye he obtained a 
crop of four hundred and sixteen bushels; planted one hundred and 
forty- two pounds of Early Rose potatoes and obtained a yield of eight 
thousand one hundred pounds. This shows a handsome increase 
from all sources. 

The creek receives its name, Willow, from the tall and thick 
growth of willow bushes on either side of the stream. They add 
much to its general beauty, and in the summer season form a 
pleasant shade for the angler. There is a large scope of adjacent 
country, where stock can range, feed and fatten in all seasons. 
One peculiarity about this valley is the length of time it holds its 
verdure. 

' ' Here summer first unfolds its robes, 

And here they longest tarry." 

It often looks fresh, green and beautiful, when the country begins 
to assume a dry and withered aspect in other places. If the 
Northern Pacific Railroad goes along the Jefferson, as anticipated, 
it will pass Willow Creek. If the branch road from the Utah 
Northern comes down the Madison as expected, it will have depots 
not far from Willow Creek. This is destined to become an important 
settlement in Montana. 

Hot Spring and Norwegian Creeks, situated a few miles south 
of Willow Creek, are respectively fifteen and twenty miles in 
length. They have some fine agricultural lands in their valleys and 
stock ranges equal in quality to any in Montana. 

Antelope and South Boulder Creeks, situated a few miles north 
of Willow Creek, contain some fine agricultural lands and some 
excellent hay and stock ranches, but the ground on them is nearly 
all occupied. 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF SAN FRANCISCO, CAL. 37 



MEMCMMWTS ^ MWWMMM 

BUY YOUR GOODS FROM SAN FRANCISCO! 

Have a buyer who is acquainted with the market — then order as you 

want. Satisfactory arrangements for buying 

can be made with 




PURCHASING AGENT, 

SAN FRANCISCO, 

Who is always thoroughly posted in the markets, and will attend to buying 
GOODS OF ALL DESCRIPTIONS for Merchants, at z\ per cent 
commission, and guarantee to buy as low as can be bought west of the 
Rocky Mountains. 

FARMERS, FAMILIES, HOTEL IE1PERS, 

Or anyone else who want Goods in LARGE OR SMALL QUANTITIES, 
can get them ON THE MOST ADVANTAGEOUS TERMS by sending to 



I am satisfied from the experience T have had in buying goods for 
INTERIOR MERCHANTS and others for several years, and the continu- 
ance of their patronage and approval of the system, that it is one which 
meets with the general approval of country people. 



By permission, I refer to the following well known business men of San 
Francisco : 

Haviland, Hooper <fc Co., China, Crockery and Fancy Goods Dealers, 
335 Pine Street. 

Blake, Bobbins & Co., Importers of Printing Paper, 516 Sacramento 
Street. 

James R. Gates, Importer of Drugs & Medicines, corner Commercial 
and Sansome Streets. 

Kohler, Chase & Co., Dealers in Toys and Musical Instruments, 633 and 
635 Clay Street. 

R. H. Yates, Agent for Singer Sewing Machines, 139 Montgomery Street. 

H. A. Deming, Agent Howe Sewing Machines, 137 Kearny Street. 

J. A. Shaber, Wholesale and Retail Dealer in Furniture and Bedding, 
707 Market Street. 

Jas. G. Steele & Co., Druggists, 521 Montgomery Street. 



38 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

PASSAMARI VALLEY. 



This valley is one of the earliest settled in the history of the 
county, and a portion of it is so thickly pojDulated, that it appears 
more like a New England farming community, than a territorial 
settlement. The name, Passamari, is from the Snake language, 
and signifies " Quaking Aspen Grove/' a name given by the Snake, 
Indians to streams whose courses are marked by these kind of trees. 
The valley is so pleasant and well adapted to raising stock, some 
have given it the name of "Beautiful," or " Wintering Valley." 
The" Passamari Eiver rises in the divide between the Snow Crest 
and Tobacco Eoot Mountains. It starts out unassumingly in its 
downward course, but is nourished and strengthened by numerous 
tributaries, so that it becomes a stream of considerable importance, 
ere it empties its contents into the Beaver Head River, and is lost in 
the mingling flood that is ever flowing and hastening to reach the 
ocean. It is more than fifty miles in length. 

The first fourteen miles of the river flows through some very 
desirable grazing country, as good as there is in the mountains; 
then it flows through a narrow canyon, two miles in length, and 
then through a basin fifteen miles long, of choice agricultural lands. 
There are places on either side of the basin where the mountains 
slope gradually, giving an extensive area of bench lands and 
presenting an almost illimitable range for stock. On either side of 
the valley above the canyon, are numerous little streams which purl 
and clatter down to the river, but they have not been considered of 
sufficient importance to receive names. The first stream of con- 
siderable size on the east side above the canyon is the east fork of 
the river. This is a warm water stream fifteen feet wide, four feet 
deep and fifteen miles in length. It throws sufficient heat in the 
main stream to prevent it from freezing in the coldest of weather 
for a distance of ten miles. This is invaluable for stock as it gives 
them free access to water in mid-winter. It also forms an excellent 
place for fishing during the winter months when the remainder of 
the river is frozen. There is plenty of timber and some placer 
mining on this main branch. The next stream below is Willow 
Creek. There is some timber on either side of its waters, and that 
is about all that can be said about it. 

Two and a-half miles below, is Green Horn Gulch. This is a 
good sized stream and is surrounded with some of the finest build- 
ing timber in the world. It will not be long before this will be a 
profitable place for saw mills. Five miles below is Jack Creek, 
a long narrow gulch which furnishes an excellent stock range, and 
is plentifully supplied with timber. Four miles from Jack Creek 
is Idaho Gulch. It contains some placer mining, indications of 
quartz lodes, abundance of timber, and wild fruits. Saw mills 
could be run very easily. Two miles from Idaho is Meade's Gulch. 
It has extensive mining grounds and dense timber, and a few trib- 
utaries coming in on either side. In the way of improvements, it 
has one saw mill, and a long mining flume. 

Coming down on the west side of the valley, the first stream of 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 39 

importance is Cream Creek, so called on account of the creamy- 
color of its soil. It is a good grazing country, and has plenty 
of timber. The stream is very pretty. Its clear waters flow over 
a hard pebbly bed, and everything indicates that there are placer 
mines in the vicinity, but no rich diggings have been found. A 
general camping ground for foxes is on the next creek below. It 
is known as Fox Creek, and is a good grazing country. Rob 
Creek, noted for grazing and agricultural land, comes in a mile 
below. It is named after Mr. John Kob, who has a nice ranch at 
its mouth. Sweetwater Creek flows into the valley next below Rob 
Creek. The stream comes through a long open valley, which 
abounds with timber, contains some rich silver lodes and extensive 
grazing lands. Three miles below Sweetwater Creek is Cotton- 
wood Creek. There is some fine timber on the creek, good hay 
lands, and a nice stock range. Down a mile further is Mormon 
Creek. A few Mormons settled here a few years ago, but have 
since "gone where the woodbine twineth." All that can be said 
about this creek, and the one a short distance below it — Ledfern — 
is, that their surrounding lands are good for hay and grazing. 
Garden Creek flows in near the second canyon. The land up this 
creek is very superior for gardening purposes, and the growth of 
native grasses is very exuberant. 

The distance between the two canyons is fifteen miles, and this 
portion is known as the Upper Passamari Basin, and is said to be 
the best stock growing section in Montana. It has the inestimable 
advantage of innumerable streams of clear water coming in from 
all directions; almost an endless amount of bunch grass which 
covers the foot-hills and benches, while along the river an abun- 
dance of hay can be cut for feed in case of an unusually hard 
winter. Doctor L. W. Frary and Messrs. Alexander Metzel, O. A. 
Sedman, John Williams, Robert Caswell, Isaac Pendarvis and Cap- 
tain James Williams, have become permanently engaged in the 
business of stock raising and are meeting with unlimited success. 
The first three named gentlemen imported in June 1871, from the 
most noted stock farms in [Kentucky, about twenty head of pure 
thoroughbred short horn Durham cattle, containing some of the 
most valued and sought-for strains of blood to be found in either 
the English or American herd books. With these valuable import- 
ations there must be necessarily a marked improvement in our home 
grades of cattle, and in time we should be able to compete with the 
world for the production of thoroughbreds, as no country affords 
more natural advantages than are to be seen here by the most 
casual observer. The ranch of Captain James Williams, present 
County Commissioner, has a superior location near the mouth of 
the canyon. The present increase of his stock is about two hun- 
dred head a year. The second canyon is three miles long and then 
comes a wide lengthy valley. The first ten miles of this country 
is very thickly settled and the Goddess of Prosperity sheds her 
most benignant smiles on the labors of the industrious denizens. 
We might notice several ranches here that are very valuable and 
productive. Among them are the ranches of A. H. Van Brocklin 
and John Taylor, who claim to have raised some of the largest 



40 KESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

vegetables ever seen in America. Adjoining these places is the large 
and thrifty ranch of 

E. H. Combs. 

It is situated on the east side of the river, ten miles distant from 
Virginia City; has a fine dwelling house, farm buildings, corrals, 
substantial fences, etc. Mr. Combs ploughs one hundred and 
twenty-five acres annually. Last year he sowed ninety acres of 
oats and wheat and harvested three thousand seven hundred bushels 
of grain. In the year 1868 he had sixty acres of oats and wheat; 
the average yield of oats was seventy bushels, and wheat thirty 
bushels per acre. His squashes usually attain a weight of forty 
pounds each; he cuts one hundred and forty tons of hay annually 
with no expense attending thereto but the mowing. This is a model 
ranch in many respects, and certainly one of the finest in the 
valley. 

Two miles from this place is the ranch of the well known 
Frenchman, 

Monsieur J. B. Laurin. 

A twist in the river at this point conveys an abundance of water to 
this place for all purposes. Mr. Laurin usually keeps stock and 
poultry of all kinds and descriptions. A large band of horses run 
out on the hills from one year to another without seeing the inside 
of a corral or tasting a spoonful of grain. Yet they do well, have 
their increase and keep fat in all seasons of the year. Mr. Laurin 
has had some experience in keeping sheep and thinks there is no 
better country in the world for them than Montana. He finds the 
raising of poultry profitable and sometimes has as many as a 
thousand chickens in his yards. 

A half a mile further down, and a little nearer the eastern range 
of mountains, is the farm and nursery of 

John Redfern. 

The fruit trees in this nursery were brought from Salt Lake to 
this country six or seven years ago, at a time when grasshoppers 
were numerous. They have been eaten off by these pests, and 
seriously injured by rabbits, yet they are now in a healthy condition, 
and very promising. They will yield a fair crop of apples this 
year. They are of various kinds, and among them we have noticed 
those of the yellow and green pippin, pie, rambeau and russet. 
Mr. Redfern has farmed in Iowa and Pennsylvania, and as the 
winters are milder here than in those States, he thinks that in the 
course of time, Montana will be their superior as a fruit growing 
country, while his experience has taught him that it is far better for 
raising all kinds of grain and vegetables. 

Four miles below Redfern's is the hay and stock ranch of 

John Harrison. 

Mr. Harrison conducts quite an extensive dairy, and the amount of 
butter from each cow averages four pounds per week. One summer 
he milked two cows which rendered fifteen pounds of butter per 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 41 



*<• s—+ /v -l — * t r-n /\ -T- ** 



CAPITAI 



* w m^. 



HARRY WARBKXSl'GTQll'* 

WALLACE STREET, VIRGINIA CITY, 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALER IN 

CALIFORNIA AND HATANA CIGAES, 

Virginia Smoking and Chewing Tobaccos, Pipes, Stems, Etc. 

I buy my Goods directly from the manufacturers, FOR CASH, and can therefore sell as low as the 
lowest. All Goods warranted as represented. Orders from the country promptly attended to. 



WER WALLACE ST., VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA, 



WHOLESALE AND RETAIL DEALER IN 



Grocer! eg, Ligvors, 1 •)»•••■, 

AND PRODUCE OF ALL KINDS, 

Keeps a well-assorted stock always on hand. The Farmers' and Miners' 
trade made a specialty. 

Buys WHEAT, OATS, BARLEY, PORK, FLOUR, POTATOES, BUT- 
TER, and PRODUCE of all kinds, and pays the VERY HIGHEST MAR- 
KET PRICE for the same. He is at his old stand. Give him a call before 
buying your goods or selling your grain or produce. 



JULIUS KRAEMER, 

Wallace St., Virginia City, Montana, 

Keeps constantly on hand a full stock of 

Manufactured out of OHIO OAK- TANNED LEATHER. Sells no Eastern-made Harness, nor 
uses any but oak-tanned leather in manufacturing harness. Has also always on sale every style 
of California-made Saddles ; also California plain and fancy Bridles, Canteeners, Saddle 
Blankets, Whips, Spurs and Halters. He is also prepared to do all kinds of Repairing to Har- 
ness and Saddles, at very low rates, and defies competition in the Harness and Saddlery line. 
Give him a call. 



42 V 

week. He has made calculations on the profits of stock raising, and 
finds that it returns on an average five per cent, a month, or sixty 
per cent, a year. He has one Montana cow which brings in sixteen 
per cent, a month, or nearly two hundred per cent, a year on her 
assessed value. All kinds of vegetables grow well on this ranch. 
The proprietor is just commencing to raise grain, and thinks that 
he can easily obtain fifty bushels of oats per acre. 
Two miles from this place is the 

Silver Springs Flouring Mill. 

This mill has a decided advantage in its location. It is surrounded 
by a very rich farming country which is very thickly settled, and 
thousands of bushels of choice golden grain are raised annually in 
the immediate vicinity. The building was erected with much care 
and expense, and is one of the best conceived and finest executed 
structures in Montana. The heavy stone foundation rests upon the 
solid bed rock, twenty feet below the surface, and it rises ten feet 
above the ground. It is divided by several partition walls, all of 
which are built from the most substantial limestone and granite 
rock. The machinery and milling stones were purchased in Buffalo, 
New York, and are of the very best quality that could be found in 
the market. The building is four stories in height, contains two 
sets of burrs, and is capable of grinding five sacks of Hour per 
hour with either set. The water wheel is twenty-four feet in 
diameter, four feet in breast, and weighs not less than fifteen 
thousand pounds. It is turned by a stream of warm water brought 
in a volume of five hundred and twenty cubic inches, through a 
ditch one and one-quarter miles in length. The mill is especially 
fortunate in having the use of this water, as it never freezes, and 
the mill can run in the coldest weather without being bothered with 
the most minute flake of ice. 

There is much vacant land adjacent to the Lower Passamari. 
In most cases it will have to be irrigated by water from the river, 
and by the use of artesian wells. There is a proposition entertained 
of digging a long ditch that will carry a large volume of water from 
the river in a northeasterly direction, to the bench lands of the 
Tobacco Eoot Mountains. If this plan is executed, thirty thousand 
acres of land now unoccupied, will soon be producing prodigious 
crops. 

There are a number of streams flowing in on the east side of the 
river, but the ground in most of them is held as mineral land, and 
they have already been noticed under the head of placer and quartz 
mining. There are affluents, however, on this side, towards the 
mouth of the river, which waters a fertile farming country, upon 
which a goodly number of thrifty farmers have settled. Prominent 
among these streams is 

Mill Creek. 

This stream rises in the Tobacco Root Mountains, on the east 
side of the valley; is twenty miles long, and has two tributaries — 
Spring Gulch and Quartz Hill Creek. The former is about two 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 43 

miles in length; comes in from the southwest, and contains some 
rich placers. The latter also has placer mines; is quite a small 
stream, and comes in from the north. Along the first few miles of 
the creek; there is very dense timber, consisting of red and white 
pine, spruce and fir, of excellent quality, and the supply inex- 
haustible. It is a fine milling stream, and runs at present a saw 
mill, quartz mill, flouring mill, and a tannery. The flouring mill, 
one of the best in the territory, grinds a large quantity of flour 
annually, which has an extended reputation for excellence. It 
turns out usually eighty sacks of flour per day. 

The Pioneer Tannery. 

This manufactory deserves particular notice as at present it is the 
only works of the kind in Montana. It has forty pools, vats and 
leaches, and is capable of manufacturing leather from three thousand 
beef hides ar!d three thousand calf skins annually under the old 
process, and twice the amount under the new process. The past 
year, besides furnishing a goodly amount of leather to the Montana 
trade for bridles, skirtings, sole, kip, calf skins and belting, thirty 
thousand pounds of leather in the rough were shipped to Boston, 
Massachusetts, for which from 33 to 35 cents per pound was 
received. This leather passes for oak tan. The building is large 
and roomy; is particularly fortunate in its location, being situated 
in the heart of the best agricultural portion of Montana, having 
abundance of water for all milling purposes, and is surrounded 
with thousands of acres of government timber lands which have 
never been surveyed nor pre-empted, and it is believed that the 
Northern Pacific Railroad, when completed, will pass within twenty 
miles of the location. The leather it manufactures has taken the 
first premiums for good qualities at fairs held in different places 
and is constantly gaining an extensive reputation. The tannery 
was erected at the cost of $19,000.00, at a time when the price of 
every kind of building material was far more expensive than at 
present. This business ^should be very remunerative to the pro- 
prietors, as hides in this territory are very plenty and cheap, while 
leather always brings a handsome price. 

To show that this section, as a farming country, is not a whit 
behind any other portion to which reference has been made, we 
write notices of two of the ranches. 

Ranch of A. M. Cisler. 

It consists of a half section — three hundred and twenty acres — and 
two hundred acres are ploughed annually. The yield per acie for 
wheat is from thirty to fifty bushels; oats, thirty to forty bushels; 
barley, forty- five bushels; melons, pumpkins and cucumbers do 
exceedingly well. A single pumpkin raised here weighed twenty- 
five pounds, which was sold for $2.50 — some pumpkins for price. 
Last year sixty-five bushels of wheat were sown and eighteen 
hundred bushels harvested. Mr. Cisler is finely fixed in his moun- 
tain home. Spring Gulch flows through his ranch and when his 
time is not required at farming he can go to the gulch and work his 
placer mines which make splendid returns for the labor. 



44 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

Eanch of E. P. Bateman 

Is situated two miles below Cisler's and adjoining the town of 
Sheridan. Mr. Bateman plows usually one hundred and fifty acres 
of ground each year, and makes a specialty of raising potatoes. 
He always obtains large yields and potatoes of excellent quality. 
The early rose potatoes yield five hundred bushels per acre year 
after year, and require but little labor and attention. They are 
planted in the middle of April, mature by the middle of August 
and are sufficiently ripe at that time to put away in cellars. He is 
commencing to raise the "king of early 5 '* potatoes and finds that 
their yield is very bounteous. A single potato of this species 
raised in his garden weighed four pounds and a quarter; Norway 
oats yield sixty bushels per acre and weigh forty-six pounds per 
bushel. Last year he sowed one pound of Montana rye, as an 
experiment, and seventy-five pounds of grain were fharvested as 
the result. 

Indian and Wisconsin Creeks. — They are situated a short 
distance north of Mill Creek, and are quite thickly settled. Situated 
between these two creeks, is the ranch of « 

H. M. Fitch. 

Last year the crops of Mr. Fitch were hardly up to what is 
usually expected from this fruitful soil. He sowed nine hundred 
and forty-three pounds of wheat, and harvested two hundred and 
forty-three bushels of grain, which rendered thirty-five pounds of 
XXX flour to the bushel; sowed three and a-half acres of peas, 
and gathered at the rate of sixty bushels per acre. After the peas 
were harvested, a drove of hogs were turned upon the stubble field, 
and they lived there exclusively for two months. These swine cost 
$25.00, and rendered a net profit of $500.00 — a splendid percentage 
on the capital invested. Indian corn is raised, which produces a 
superior quality of meal. Melons, cucumbers and squashes of a pro- 
digious size grow in abundance. We might furnish further 
evidence of the productiveness of the soil in this vicinity, by 
noticing the thrifty ranch of G-. H. Baker, and by giving particulars 
of the ranch of that careful and successful farmer, Mr. John 
Temple, but as the soil all along these creeks is of equal richness, 
and the produce raised very nearly the same, we could hardly 
furnish a variety of reading matter by giving further particulars. 
We will say to those who are looking to this country for future 
homes, that if they should settle in this section, they will be 
favored with some of the nicest society in Montana, and will hold 
daily intercourse with some of the best citizens in the mountains. 

In traveling on down the valley, passing the junction of the 
Beaver Head and Big Hole Rivers, we find ourselves in the extensive 

JEFFERSON VALLEY. 



Forty miles of this valley is in Madison county, and it is noted 
for its extensive stock ranges, fertile soil and rich quartz lodes. A 
great portion of this valley is unoccupied, and it contains room for 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 45 

hundreds of families. The fine grain and hay ranches of John 
Mannheim and Mrs. H. J. Caryl, and the flourishing stock ranches 
of Messrs. Norris, Bell and James Gordon are worthy of notice. 
There are two towns of promising importance in the valley — Iron 
Kod and Silver Star. Adjoining the town of Silver Star is the 
ranch of Judge James A. Slaven, who has raised pumpkins weighing 
sixty pounds each. The farm and gardens of 

G. J. Wickham, 

Are situated at the base of the mountains, three miles east of the 
river, and six miles from Silver Star. He makes a speciality of 
gardening, and uses twenty -five acres of ground for that purpose. 
Sir. Wickham says that he can raise everything here, that can be 
raised on the soil of Illinois. He has farmed and gardened in 
Minnesota, and says that he has met with better success here than 
in that State. The yield of melons, cucumbers and pumpkins, is 
enormous. Some of the melons raised have weighed eighteen 
pounds; squashes, forty pounds; cabbages, eighteen pounds. Last 
year he planted a dozen varieties of corn which ripened and 
returned a prolific increase. 

Z. D. Foster, John Jamison and others are farming in this 
locality, and are meeting with splendid success. Right here there 
are thousands of acres of vacant farming lands, with an abundance 
of water and timber accessible. For about twenty miles the river 
is the dividing line between Madison and Jefferson counties, and 
on either side of the stream are homes and ranches which bear 
every indication of thrift and prosperity. Near South Boulder 
Creek is the hay and stock ranch of 

Joseph Gans. 

It consists of four hundred and sixty acres, and is one of the 
most valuable stock farms in the county. It produces three hun- 
dred tons of hay annually, besides furnishing pasturage for five 
hundred head of cattle. A never-failing stream of warm water 
flows through the premises. Mr. Gans has a superior lot of stock, 
among which are four head that were brought from Kentucky, at 
an expense of $3,200.00. They consist of one three-year-old, 
" Dick Taylor," gross weight, two thousand one hundred pounds; 
a one-year-old, " Lord Lee," weight, one thousand pounds. The 
other two are fancy Durham heifers. 

Messrs. John Carpenter and Louis Keyser are raising stock in 
this neighborhood and have immense herds of cattle. The Jeffer- 
son Valley has certainly a promising future. A survey for the 
Northern Pacific Railroad has been made along the river and it is 
generally believed that this route will be adopted, and when the 
iron horse goes snorting and scampering through the valley it will 
wake up latent resources which for centuries have slumbered. 
Miles of tillable land will wave and roll with golden grain fields, 
immense herds of cattle, bands of horses and flocks of sheep will 
graze on the mountain sides, quartz mills will pound and hammer 
on rock- from the hundreds of lodes in the gold-ribbed hills, and 
the entire countiy will flow with a tide of prosperity and attain a 
power and importance that cannot now be properly estimated. 



46 PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 




STOVES M® 4tA1U>WA1l£. 




Keeps on hand and for sale at the lowest maeket peices a large variety of 

HEATING and COOKING STOVES 

Also the largest and best assortment of Tin, Sheet Iron Ware, Brass and Copper Ware, 
Zinc, Bar, Lead and Lead Pipe, Cutlery, Silver Plated, Glass and Queen's Ware. 
The great Epicure Broilers, and the celebrated Brilliant Burner. Partic- 
ular attention paid to Job work. Will be executed on short notice 
and in the neatest style, and warranted to give satisfaction. 

Quick Sales and. Small Profits ! 

WALLACE STREET, - - - - VIRGINIA CITY 



BELLEVIEW STATION 

Farmers and Travelers, Attention ! 

Having purchased the property known as the Eight Mile House, on the county road to 
Madison Valley, and thoroughly refitted the premises as a first-class stopping place, I desire to 
inform the public that I will hereafter be found at Belleview Station (old 8-mile house) ready to 
entertain the traveling public with good beds, palatable meals and something to refresh the 
inner man. Parties desirous of purchasing 

consisting of suckling Colts, young Stallions, fancy matched, work and carriage teams and No. 1 
saddle horses, cannot fail to be suited on an inspection of my numerous herd of fine horses. I 
shall, for the benefit of travelers, keep sleighs for crossing the divide, which can be had on 
moderate terms. 

A choice stock of liquors and cigars will be kept behind the Bar of the Belleview at all 
times. 

T. J. FAREEL, Proprietor. 



Wallace street, Virginia City, Montana^ 

MANTJFACTUEEES OF 

BOOTS AND SHOES 



TO ORDER 



BEST PLACE TO GET CUSTOM-MADE BOOTS and SHOES in the CITY. 

A Perfect Fit Guaranteed. 



Have just received A SUPPLY OF CORK SOLES and are prepared to get up to order 
all styles of Cork-soled Boots for winter. 



Their material is all of the first quality. B^" If you want a fashionable and neat- 

fitting boot give them a call. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 47 

RED ROCK VALLEY. 



The Red Rock River finds its source in Red Rock Lake, in the 
extreme southern portion of the county, and flows in a northwest- 
erly course. Forty miles of the valley are in Madison county, and 
in this portion there is scarcely a settler. It is a magnificent agri- 
cultural and stock-raising valley, and contains room for hundreds 
of immigrants. 

Black Tail Deer Creek. — A few miles of the upper portion of 
this creek flows through Madison county, and many advantages for 
stock-raising and dairying are claimed. The extensive dairy and 
line stock ranch of Messrs. PoiD dexter & Orr is located on this 
creek in Beaver Head county. These gentlemen are well known 
throughout the west as large and successful stock dealers. 

Porter Canyon. — Porter creek, a stream ten miles in length, rises 
in the Table mountain and flows into the Jefferson River on the 
west side near the town of Iron Rod. The stream was formerly 
called the Pipestone, as the Indians used to go there in an early 
day to gather stone for making pipes. We learn that Samuel Hol- 
man was one of the early pioneers in this gulch and has credit for 
erecting the first arrastra. In the winter of 1866-67 an excite- 
ment over its placers was created by a man named Webster, which 
brought in a stampede of California miners, who christened the 
creek Mariposa. After sinking several shafts and finding nothing 
they branded it as Hell Canyon, It bears this latter name on the 
maps, but it has been recently agreed by the quartz owners in the 
vicinity to call it Porter Canyon, as complimentary to L. D. Porter, 
Esq., who has spent much money in developing its quartz lodes, 
and who has been eminently successful as a quartz miner. The 
stream flows through a terribly rough and broken country, but 
there are here and there places that would make nice gardens if the 
ground was not held as mineral land. It has some rich quartz 
lodes, two quartz mills and two arrastras. One of the mills has 
five, the other six stamps; they are run by water and are crushing 
ore from various lodes. There is plenty of trout in the stream, 
wild fruit grows abundantly and there is almost an endless amount 
of timber. Five miles from the mouth of the stream there is a 
beautiful park. 

BEAVER HEAD AND BIO HOLE VALLEYS. 



The greater portion of these valleys are in the counties of Beaver 
Head and Deer Lodge, but fifteen miles of the Beaver Head and 
twenty miles of the Big Hole Rivers flow through the northwestern 
portion of Madison county. These valleys are very free from 
snow in winter and furnish an excellent grazing country for 
stock of all kinds. Many thousand head of horses and cattle find 
pasturage in these valleys in all seasons. 

Stock raising is considered to be the most remunerative busi- 
ness in this section, and seems to be passing from the legitimate 
occupation of the farmers, to the hands of merchants, bankers and 



48 

professional men, wlio have an eye for making money, and can 
easily perceive the handsome profits arising- from the business. 
The farmers in these valleys are very prosperous however, as the 
yield of all kinds of produce and grain is far more abundant than 
gathered, and the prices more than double those received in the 
States. As in other localities in the county, specimens of all the 
cultivated grasses can be found here growing wild, especially 
along the river bottoms, where they attain a tall, heavy growth, and 
furnish material for choice hay. The past winter, 1871-72, has 
been, perhaps, the most severe ever known in this country, yet, an 
example like the following will show the advantages of these valleys: 
Mr. Pollinger had some young two and three-year-old cattle which 
had been running out all winter, eating nothing excepting what 
could be gathered on the benches and hillsides, yet in the middle 
of February, the latter portion of a severe winter, fifty head of the 
number were sold for beef, and the price realized averaged a little 
more than $50.00 per head. 

Wool growing in these valleys is proving to be a splendid success. 
The flock of sheep belonging to Mr. John Bishop have been grazing 
in these valleys for the past two years. When first brought to the 
territory, they sheared three pounds to the fleece; last year they 
sheared seven pounds of fine wool to the fleece. This handsome 
increase is probably attributable to the abundance and variety of 
grasses, and to the exceedingly dry and healthy climate. The 
surrounding mountains contain an abundance of fine timber suitable 
for building and fencing, and along the margin of the streams 
cottonwood trees grow with astonishing rapidity, which furnish 
the settlers with plenty of fuel. There are a number of good quartz 
lodes, and some valuable placer mining ground in these valleys. 
Lack of water and proper machinery, the obstacles which arise for 
want of capital, as yet prevent the rich promises of these mines 
from being realized. There appears to be an air of contentment 
prevalent among the setttlers of these sections, and as they seem 
to have full faith and confidence in the fa tare prosperity and 
destiny of these smiling and fruitful valleys, they are patiently 
abiding their time, and the coming of the Northern Pacific 
Railroad. 

Madison County as a Field for Tourists. 

The objects of travel are numerous. A wish for change of 
climate, to find diversion in new scenes and surroundings; to seek 
avenues for the profitable investment of capital; to look upon and 
study what is marvelous and curious in the formation and freaks of 
nature, are prominent among the causes which resalt in hundreds 
leaving their old homes for a while, to sojourn in newer and less 
familiar localities. The mountains stand with open gates and 
inviting entrances to these classes of people. Those seeking a 
change from cold, keen northeast winds, raw atmospheres, low 
bottom lands where malaria finds its elements, will find here a 
beneficent change, in inhaling the light mountain air, in sojourning 
in the land of genial sunshine, too highly elevated for the reach of 
diseases attendant upon lower localities, and which for such long 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 49 

periods of the year is spanned by skies of the deepest and most 
beautiful blue. Those who seek opportunities for beholding the 
marvelous and wonderful, can find themselves constantly sur- 
rounded with the most gratifying pleasures. To the capitalist is 
granted unlimited scope for speculation, varieties of material for 
trade, and opportunities for profitable investment. Naturalists and 
geologists will find in whichever direction they turn attention, the 
book of nature wide open with problems, inviting their most earnest 
study, inscribed upon its pages. We will make mention of some 
of the wonders and beauties of nature as found in this county, 
commencing with the mountains. At all times and seasons there is 
something grand, majestical and attractive in their appearance. 
Whether in the morning, when they are first illumined by the rays 
of the rising sun, and the mist in tall vapory columns ascends to 
the skies as incense; at mid-day, when the rough, rugged, broken 
sides ornamented with evergreens, catch in turn the ever-varying 
reflections of sunlight and shade; in the evening, when the last 
departing rays of sunlight rests for a moment on their brow ere 
vanishing from the horizon; at night, when the massive and tower- 
ing rocks assume the appearance of ancient castles and fortresses, 
their domes and turrets receiving the light of the shining concave; 
in summer, when the heat in the valley is oppressive, and their 
peaks, covered with perpetual snow, present their refreshing appear- 
ance; in mid- winter, when they stand breasting and defying the 
furies of the storm-king, with their summits crowned with imperial 
snow-crests ; upon all occasions they present attractions and 
scenery of more than passing interest. The most beautiful moun- 
tains in Madison county, is the Ruby Range. It is so called on 
account of many magnificent rubies being found on it, and owing 
to the various colors it reflects when receiving the gradually fading 
light of evening. It is watched with much interest at these times, 
and the beautiful amethystine colors displayed upon its flanks, call 
forth much admiration. We will now refer to objects of interest in 
each valley. 

The principal curiosity in the Beaver Head Valley, is the point 
of rocks known as Beaver Head Rocks. They form a perpendicular 
wall three hundred feet in height, which acts as a barrier against 
the waters of the Beaver Head River, as it sweeps around its base. 
From top to bottom it contains seams filled with the most beautiful 
crystals. On one side of the rocks are numerous hot springs, and 
the waters from each seem to contain different elements and prop- 
erties. Their combined waters form a stream of considerable size. 
Four miles north of this, on the Big Hole River, is another 
collection of hot springs, which seem to find their origin in, and 
gush from the same strata of rock that juts out at the point on 
Beaver Head. During the cold weather of winter, a dense fog or 
steam constantly rises from these scalding waters, and they keep 
the adjacent ground so open and warm, that insects and snakes 
refuse to go into a winter home, and can be found enjoying life and 
activity at all times. Much of similar interest can be found in the 
Jefferson Valley, but the most noticeable of its hot springs are 
those near the town of Silver Star. They boil from a rocky ledge 



50 

in the bench lands, considerable distance from the mountains. 
Eggs and meat can be cooked very quickly, by being placed in a 
kettle of this water. When the farmers in this locality kill their 
swine, they often use these waters, which scald instantly. These 
springs contain some medicinal properties, which are very effica- 
ceous in curing rheumatism. A nice bath house is kept, with waters 
fixed at the proper temperature, and collected in sufficient quantity 
to give nice opportunity for diving and swimming. 

Coming up the Passamari Valley on either side, high up in the 
range of mountains, are lakes of clear, crystal beauty, calmly 
reposing in the embrace of the mountains, thousands of feet above 
the level of the sea. Two of the most beautiful are Silver and 
Harrison Lakes situated in the Tobacco Eoot Mountains near the 
head of Wisconsin Creek. They were visited by a party of ladies 
and gentlemen last summer, who spoke in high terms of the beauty 
of their surroundings and expressed themselves as being richly 
repaid for their toilsome ascent. 

There is a deep cave at the head of Mill Creek, but its apart- 
ments and subterranean chambers have never yet been fully ex- 
plored. 

The Silver Springs, at the residence of H. N. Verdon, Esq., 
Lower Passamari Valley, are worth visiting. Their tepid waters 
boil and gush at the foot of the bluffs in copious quantities and are 
gathered in a reservoir resembling a little lake. A stream, which 
turns the wheel for one of the largest flouring mills in Montana 
constantly flows from this collection of water, is carried through a 
ditch one mile and a quarter in length and does its work in the 
coldest weather without containing the least particle of ice. The 
minature lake appears singularly beautiful in winter. The bottom 
is covered with a thick growth of green verdure, the sky and 
surrounding objects are delineated beneath the crystal surface, 
while the musquash and articulate animals sport and swim in their 
warm home as though they enjoyed perpetual summer. 

The Upper Passamari is fertile with the curious and marvelous. 
Weeks and months could be spent with much pleasure in traveling 
through the valley and adjoining gulches. A short distance above 
the lower canyon, in the bluffs on the west side, is a lake of warm 
water — Williams Lake. There are a number of hot springs gushing 
and flowing in the vicinity, and most of them empty in the lake, 
which is situated at the base of a perpendicular cliff of rocks. A 
ditch conveying water for mining purposes has been taken from the 
lake, which has lowered the surface for a depth of two feet, and 
along its edges fossils and calcareous formations are abundant. The 
little tributaries have a variety of green verdure in winter, among 
which we have noticed fragrant peppermint. To those who like 
something warming in cold weather here is a nice opportunity to 
enjoy a nice mint julep. There are many hot springs and similar 
waters at intervals in the valley, but the chief attractions are con- 
nected with the east fork of the river, which is a hot stream of 
water fifteen miles in length. All along the banks of the stream 
are hot scalding waters, some smelling strongly of petroleum and 
others emitting the fumes of sulphur. Two miles from the mouth 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OP MONTANA. 51 



NEWS, BOOK AND JOB PRINTING 

ESTABIilSHMESlXTT, 

VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA. 



GEO. F. COPE PROPRIETOR. 



SUBSCRIPTION PRICE OF PAPER : $8.00 per year ; $5.00 for six months. Where sub- 
scriptions are paid in advance, a States (Weekly) newspaper will be furnished gratis. 

The best Advertising Medium in Montana Territory. 



TO SETTLERS AND MINERS 

WHO DESIRE TO ACQUIRE TITLE TO THEIR CLAIMS UPON 
THE PUBLIC LANDS. 



I have established a Public Land Agency here, and make a specialty of any and all 
questions and business pertaining to the Public Lands or Reserved Railroad Lands. 
Possessing an extended and intimate acquaintance with the Public Land Laws, Rules 
and Regulations, and familiarity with the Land Office Records, and long practice as 
Counselor and Attorney at Law, I will now attend to any business for claimants before 
the local or general Land Office, relating to Claiming or Entry of Agricultural or 
Mineral Lands, Homesteads and Railroad Lands, much of which business may be trans- 
acted without personal attendance at the Land Office by the claimants. 

Contested cases will receive my personal and strict attention. For any information 
desired in reference to Public Lands, apply in person or address by mail. 

OFFICE NEAR U. S. LAND OFFICE, HELENA, M. T. 

L. B. LYMAN, Late Register of Land Office. 



CIVIL AND MINING ENGINEER 

AND 

PRACTICAL SURVEYOR, 

Deputy United States Mineral Surveyor for the First District 
of Montana, and County Surveyor of Madison Co. 



Being supplied with accurate and reliable instruments, and having had an ex- 
tended practice and experience, is fully prepared at all times to execute surveys of 
Mineral Lodes and Placer Mining Claims, and the preparation of all papers required in 
application for Patents from the U. S. KF" Strict Accuracy guaranteed with reason- 
able charges. 

Office, Virginia City, Montana. 



52 

are some beautiful cascades which make a perpendicular fall of 
twenty feet. After this branch empties into the main river the hot 
water struggles for the mastery and keeps the river in the winter 
season free from ice for a distance of ten miles. On the west side 
of the valley, ten miles up Sweetwater Creek, is one of the most 
beautiful parks in the mountains. The south and west sides are 
splendidly adorned with evergreen timber, and scattered here and 
there are some pleasant groves consisting mostly of quaking aspen 
trees. Cold, gushing springs of water are plentiful, while the 
grass rolls and waves with magnificent luxuriance. Yet this park 
is inhabited by no one and remains as the home for the deer, elk 
and mountain sheep . It is capable of furnishing pasturage and a 
winter home for thousands of cattle. The Red Rock Lakes are at 
the head of the Passamari River. The largest lake covers an area 
of one hundred acres; is oblong in shape, has clear deep waters, 
abounds with fish and game, and is situated in a large basin. There 
are several smaller lakes in the vicinity, surrounded by low, wet 
grounds, which produce an abundance of tall and nutritious grass. 
A scene of grand and striking interest on the Madison River is 
its canyon. It appears probable that in an early period of the 
present age of this mundane sphere, the Upper Madison Valley was 
an extensive and deep lake with no outlet. High bluffs and short 
spurs connect the Madison and Tobacco Root Mountains at the 
lower portion of the valley. The heavy waters constantly washing 
against the Madison Range finally forced an opening and washed 
out a canyon fifteen miles in length and created an egress for this 
vast body of water. There is no trail leading through this narrow 
defile; at places the perpendicular cliffs rise to a height of six or 
seven hundred feet on either side of the stream, thus cutting off 
any attempt that might be made to walk through it, and the river 
is lashed into too many whirlpools, and tumbles over too many 
rapids to admit of passing through in a. canoe. Up the valley, hot 
springs and warm streams are numerous, and one of the most 
beautiful of the latter is Warm Creek. Its waters gush and boil 
in hundreds of places from a rocky ledge in the foot-hills, on the 
west side of the valley, and their combined contents form a natural 
reservoir at the head of the stream forty feet wide. The creek 
flowing from it is six miles in length, on an average twenty feet 
wide, and from one 'to four feet in depth. The stream, excepting 
where accelerated by falls in passing from the bench to the valley, 
flows at a moderate rate over a clear pebbly bed, occasionally 
interspersed with grassy plots, upon which in winter seasons, in the 
shallowest places of the water cattle will stand for hours, and graze 
with much apparent relish. The bed of the stream near its head 
waters is nearly literally covered with tiny shells, one of the 
remarkable features of the stream is, that while its waters are warm 
and free from ice in winter, they are cool and delightful as a drink 
in summer. Taken all together, with its glassy surface, pebbly bed, 
green verdure, silvery falls and waves, it forms a stream of remark- 
able beauty, and would certainly be one of the very best in the terri- 
tory for running machinery. On the east side of the valley, near 
Mount Washington, is one of Nature's beautiful parks, it consists 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 53 

of about seventy-five acres, and is so finely and pleasantly adorned 
with black and white pine trees, growing grasses, flowing springs 
and wild fruits, that it seems as if the hand of culture and art could 
add nothing to its beauty or improvement. Buffalos have been 
killed in it, and sheep, elk, black tail deer, pheasants and grouse 
are very plenty, the farther we proceed up the Madison the nearer 
we approach wonderland, that portion of the country, situated in 
Wyoming Territory, recently set aside by Congress as a National 
Park. This section embraces a combination of all the wonderful 
formations and freaks of nature which are usually looked for and 
found scattered in different lands and climates, this astonishing 
region has been graphically described by men of science and tourists 
who have visited the country, in the leading journals and periodicals 
in the largest eastern and western cities. "When the Northern 
Pacific Kailroad is completed, this region will be of easy access, 
but as yet the most direct way of travel to this land of geysers, vol- 
canoes, hot and mud springs, is ma Virginia City and Henry's Lake; 
the distance is one hundred and twenty-five miles from Virginia, 
and sixty-five miles from the lake. 



Citizens' Societies, etc. of Madison County. 



The citizens of Madison County represent all of the States in the 
Union, and nearly all of the nationalities of the globe, they are 
people who have traveled extensively, and many of them have filled 
high positions in life, and are graduates from the highest institu- 
tions of learning in the United States and Europe ; as a class, they 
will compare favorably with any community for intelligence and 
moral worth, and in no community are people more liberal, gener- 
ous, hospitable, or more ready to encourage every good word and 
work. They seem to partake of the cheery sunshiny atmosphere 
by which they are surrounded, time passes lightly over them, and 
the cares and misfortunes incident to humanity in all places rests 
lightly upon them. They find here the fountain and elixir of youth, 
and as a rule appear ten years younger than persons of correspond- 
ing ages in the States, there is a marked genial flow of good humor 
in all their intercourse and associations with each other, and they 
seldom meet without making the brisk sally and receiving the 
sharp rapartee, strangers need but a few minute's conversation with 
them to be made to feel that they have enjoyed an acquaintance 
of forty years standing. There are only two churches in the 
county, Episcopal and Catholic, but there are a number of public 
halls, and religious services of all denominations are occasionally 
held in them, while every thickly settled portion has its Sunday 
School and Bible Class in the district school or some convenient 
place. School-houses dot the landscape throughout the county, 
and much interest is taken in the education of the young. 

A liberal amount for the maintenance of schools is appropriated 
each year from the taxes, and no settlement is too remote to receive 
the privileges and benefits of a school, the schools in Virginia City, 



54 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 

taught by Mr. Wm. I. Marshall and Mrs. T. D. Eldred are of par 
excellence, and will compare favorably with the best regulated schools 
in the States. Members of the Masonic Fraternity are numerous, 
and brethren of the " mystic tie " are found in the different locali- 
ties. In Virginia, there is a Chapter, Council and Commandery, 
and there are five Blue Lodges in the county. The Good Templars 
are rising in power and importance, and are exerting a healthy in- 
fluence throughout the community, they have four flourishing Good 
Templar Lodges, and one Temple of Honor. Taken all together, 
there are no reasons why persons settling here should not enjoy 
all of the pleasant associations of life, and all of the privileges which 
tend to their highest moral and spiritual development. 

Eoutes of Travel to Montana. 

The present route of travel from the States to Montana, is on the 
Union Pacific Kailroad to Corinne, and from thence by stage to 
Virginia City, or to the town; that is the objective point in the ter- 
ritory; a slower but sometimes pleasant way of traveling in the 
summer season is by steamer up the Missouri River. 



Northern Pacific Railroad. 

The locomotives of the Northern Pacific Railroad will be at the 
Missouri River, by August 1st, 1872. The road will soon be built 
through Montana, and it will be the cheapest, quickest and most 
direct route of travel to this territory, as every one is interested 
in this great enterprise we publish the following extracts from the 
circular of Messrs. Jay Cooke & Co : 

The New Northwest. 

The fertile belt of country — 1800 miles long and at least 700 in 
width — extending from Lake Superior to Puget Sound, and now 
being developed by the rapid construction of the Northern Pacific 
Railroad, is probably not surpassed by any area of like extent on 
the continent for healthfulness, abundance and diversity of re- 
sources, and capacity for sustaining a dense population. Besides 
its wealth of minerals and of timber, it admirably combines the 
three essentials of a good farming and grazing country, namely: — 
a temperate climate, a naturally rich soil, and a fair supply of 
moisture. 

The climate of central Minnesota (the coldest point on the 
Northern Pacific Road), is much like that of central New York — 
without its dampness and chill. From Minnesota westward the 
seasons grew steadily milder, modified by the great depression of the 
continent along the 46th parallel, the warm winds from the Pacific 
Ocean, and other influences, so that Dakota has the climate of 
Iowa, with a drier and more invigorating air; the valleys of Mon- 
tana that of Ohio, with less snow and without its winter discomfort; 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 55 

Washington and Oregon, like California, have the winter climate of 
southern Virginia, with summers like those of New England. The 
entire line of the road lies considerably south of the latitude of 
Paris and Vienna. The remarkable healthfulness of the climate of 
the new Northwest has become proverbial. Malarial diseases seem 
absolutely unknown there. 

The capacious and land-locked harbors of Puget Sound, the 
unequaled forests of Washington Territory, the gold and silver 
mines of the Eocky Mountain region, the mineral wealth and fertile 
lands of Montana, the wheat and grazing lands of Dakota and the 
tributary British Provinces, and the farm and timber lands of 
Minnesota — added to a climate of singular salubrity — are some of 
the attractions of this new region that is now fixing the attention 
of the country. 

Ihe Great Thoroughfare. — Nature has leveled a pathway for the 
Northern Pacific Railroad, through the " Gate of the Mountains" 
and along great river valleys, from the lakes to the ocean. All 
through the mountain region the elevation is from three thousand 
to four thousand feet less on the Northern than on the Central line. 
The Union and Central Pacific Road scales four mountain sum- 
mits having the following elevations above the sea: six thousand 
one hundred and sixty-nine feet, seven thousand and forty-two feet, 
seven thousand four hundred and sixty-three feet, and eight thou- 
sand two hundred and thirty-five feet. The Northern Pacific route 
— following up the valleys of the Missouri and Yellowstone Rivers 
to the continental divide, and down the valley of the Columbia 
and its tributaries to the Pacific Coast — -has but one mountain 
summit on its main line, and that is only four thousand nine 
hundred and fifty feet above sea level. Nine hundred con- 
tinuous miles on the Union and Central Road have a greater average 
elevation than the highest summit on the Northern line, and four 
hundred and fifty continuous miles on the former line are one 
thousand feet above the highest point on the latter. These facts 
are given in partial explanation of the remarkable fertility, the 
milder seasons, and the greatly diminished snow-fall, which are 
known to characterize the Northern route. 

Connections. — At St. Paul and Minneapolis the Northern Pacific 
Railroad system connects with the navigation of the Mississippi 
River and the various lines of railroad extending through Chicago to 
the Atlantic coast; at Duluth with the commerce of the lakes and the 
St. Lawrence; at the Red River with several hundred miles of river 
and lake navigation in British America; at Puget Sound, when 
completed, with the commerce of the Pacific Ocean and the trade 
of Asia; at Portland, Oregon, with the coast lines of road, the 
traffic of the Columbia and the coastwise trade of the sea. At the 
Sault Ste. Marie, when extended eastward from Duluth; the road 
will connect with the Canadian railway system, thus forming nearly 
an air-line between Montreal and Puget Sound. 

Approximate Distances. — The construction of the Northern Pa- 
cific Road shortens the distance by water and rail between the lakes 
and the Pacific Ocean nearly seven hundred miles. It shortens the 



6 PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 



Farmers <a:n.cl ]VTin.ers 7 Attention! 



0". B. LiAUHIKT, 

CICERO, ----- MONTANA, 

Keeps constantly on hand a large and choice assortment of 

Groceries, Dry Goods, Hardware, 

QUEEN'S WARE, BOOTS, SHOES, DRUGS, AGRICULTURAL 

IMPLEMENTS, MINER'S TOOLS, ETC., ETC. 

Which are always offered at lowest prices. He also trades and deals in Grain, Produce, Wagons 

and stock of all kinds. 



^£§~ Toutes mes marchandises sont fraiches et satisfaction garantie. 
Venez et voyez vous memes. J. B. LA URIN. 



**&«&«> 



Overland Clothing Store 

Keeps constantly on hand a large and well selected 

STOCK OF GENTS' AND BOYS' CLOTHING, 

HATS, CAPS, GENTS' FURNISHING GOODS, 

CALIFORNIA BLANKETS, ETC, 

igp Which they offer at prices to defy competition. jSPft 



r^^stzmzouktid brothers, 

Jobbers and Dealersjby the Original Package in all kinds of 

GROCERIES, CALIFORNIA FLOUR, 

CAN FRUITS, DRIED FRUITS, CHINA RICE, 
Wocflen & Willow Ware, Brooms, Nuts & Confectionery, Wines & Brandies 

We have in store, direct from the Pacific Coast, a large and choice lot of 

Japan and China Teas ; also, the Celebrated Cutting Brand 
of California Canned Goods. 

Cutting's Oregon Champagne Cider, in Pints and Quarts. 

^.We sell only by the package, and country traders will do well to give us a call. "^9 

Wallace St., Creighton's Block, VIRGINIA CITY, M. T. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 57 

distance by water and rail between New York or Liverpool, and 
the ports of Asia, some one thousand four hundred miles. 

MILES. 

Distances from Chicago to San Francisco via Union and Cen- 
tral Pacific Railroad 2405 

Distance from Duluth (or St. Paul) to Puget Sound via North- 
ern Pacific Eailroad 1720 

Distance from Chicago to Puget Sound via St. Paul and the 

Northern Pacific Railroad 2070 

Distance from Montreal to Puget Sound via Northern Pacific 

Railroad and projected Eastern connections 2590 

Distance from New York to San Francisco via Union and Cen- * 
tral Pacific Railroad 3318 

Distance from New York to Puget Sound via Chicago and the 

Northern Pacific Railroad 2983 

Distance from Liverpool to Shanghai via Montreal and the 

Northern Pacific Railroad 10,300 

The Land Grant. — The Land Grant of the Northern Pacific 
Railroad consists of twelve thousand eight hundred acres to each 
mile of track through Wisconsin and Minnesota, and twenty-five 
thousand six hundred acres per mile through Dakota, Montana, 
Idaho, Washington and part of Oregon. The average for the 
whole length of the road and branch is over twenty-three thousand 
acres per mile, and the total exceeds fifty million acres. While any 
similar area necessarily embraces some inferior lands, the average 
of this colossal grant can be truthfully pronounced of excellent 
quality. Governor Stevens, who repeatedly passed over the route, 
estimates that fully four-fifths of the Northern Pacific Railroad 
lands are good for cultivation or grazing, while much of the 
remainder is in the mountain belt, and is covered with valuable 
timber or contains the precious metals. By the terms of the grant 
these lands pass into the full possession and ownership of the 
company in proportionate installments, as fast as each twenty-five 
mile section of the road is completed and accepted by the Govern- 
ment. 

County Officers of Madison County. 



Commissioners— J . M. Knight, H. H. Mood and James 
Williams. 

Sheriff. — Thomas Deyarmon; Deputy Sheriff, James Gormley. 

Probate Judge. — M. H. Lott. 

County Clerk. — Andrew V. Corry. 

Assessor. — George Gohn. 

Treasurer. — Major C. J. Kinney. 

Superintendent Public Instruction. — Wm. I. Marshall. 

Coroner. — A. M. S. Carpenter. 

District Attorney. — H. N. Blake. 



58 RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 



Rules for Entering Land. 



The following are some of the latest rules and regulations 
issued from the XL S. Land Office for the guidance of all who wish 
to enter agricultural or mineral lands : 

All actual settlers have the right once to enter land under the 
pre-emption, and once under the homestead laws; title under one 
must be perfected before the benefit of the other can be claimed. 
The settler must file his claim within three months from date 
of settlement, or if he settled before survey, then within three 
months after the map of survey is received at the land office, or he 
is liable to forfeit his claim; and proof and payment must be made 
within thirty months from the expiration of those terms respec- 
tively. And in every case where the pre-emption claim was filed 
prior to July 14th, 1870, such proof and payment must be made 
before the 14th day of July, 1872, or the pre-emption right filed 
will, in each case, be forfeited, and the filings will expire absolutely, 
by limitation of law; the settler will not again be allowed to file a 
pre-emption claim, nor can such filing be renewed in any case; but 
should that forfeiture occur, the settler may, if he has not before 
had the benefit of the act, make homestead entry of the land. 

First filing pre-emption claim, and afterwards making home- 
stead entry of same land, terminates the settler's right under both 
acts. A settler who rents out his claim and takes up his residence 
elsewhere, thereby virtually abandons it in law. Proof of at least 
six months actual settlement and residence on the land is required 
to qualify the settler to enter the land under the pre-emption act, 
and the settler must be personally present and make the affidavit 
required, before the Register or Receiver, but the proofs may be 
made and sworn to before a Clerk of the Court of Record, or 
before the Register or Receiver. 

A widow or unmarried woman possesses the same rights, under 
the public land law, that a single man does. 

No portions of sections 16 and 36 are subject to entry under the 
homestead act, nor under the pre-emption act, unless settled before 
survey, being reserved for school purposes. 

A discharged soldier has at present no rights on public land in 
this territory, different from those of any other qualified settler. 

"Where adverse claims are filed, the settler may, if he desires, 
obtain a hearing or trial, and speedy adjustment of his right, upon 
taking the necessary steps; or he may offer his proofs for pre- 
emption or homestead entry without a trial of rights, but will then 
be subject to have his entry afterwards canceled by the prior and 
superior right of an adverse claimant, if proven. 

The settler may, if he desires, purchase the land he has entered 
as a homestead, and so perfect his title, at any time after six 
months from entry, and though he may have before entered land 
under the pre-emption act, upon making similar proofs, but in this 
case two witnesses are required. 



RESOURCES OF MADISON COUNTY, MONTANA. 59 

To qualify to enter mineral land requires proof that $1,000.00 
in money or labor has been expended in developing the mine; or 
that it has by the claimant or his grantors, or both, been held and 
worked a year, in accordance with the local mining laws and 
customs, and no valid opposing claim existing. Such land may be 
entered in any quantity not exceeding one hundred and sixty acres, 
on unsurveyed, and from ten to one hundred and sixty acres on 
surveyed lands — quartz at $5.00 and placers at $2.50 per acre. 

Adverse claimants to mineral land applications, must file the 
proper proofs and papers in the Land Office, within the time 
mentioned in the published notice, or their rights will be forfeited. 
The purchase of mineral land is matter of choice, not of compulsion 
by law. 



LAND OFFICE & GENERAL LAND AGENCY 

AT VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA. 



I have supplied myself with maps, and am prepared to attend all land 
entries for Southern Montana. Particular attention given to all business 
connected with the entries of mineral and agricultural lands, and general 
conveyancing. 

OFFICE AT PROBATE COURT ROOM, VIRGINIA CITY, M. T. 

3VE. H, LOTT, 

Probate Judge and Land Agent. 



60 



PROMINENT BUSINESS HOUSES OF MONTANA. 



PATTOftT & LAMBREOHT, 

WHOLESALE AND RETAIL GROCERS 

FIRE-PROOF STONE SUILDING, COR. WALLACE AND JACKSON STS., 

ALSO FIRE-PROQF BASEMENT OF MASONIC TEMPLE, VIRGINIA C!TY, M. T. 



DEALERS EN EVERY VARE3TY OF 



Groceries, Provisions, Miners' Tools, Hardware, Tinware, 

Queensware, Cutlery, Woodenwares, Iron. Steel, Horse Shoes and 
Horse Nails, and all kinds of Wagon Timber, Sash, Window Glass, etc. 



ii 



SHOO FLY 



11 



DEALER E* 



GROCERIES, PROVISIONS, 
MINERS' TOOLS, ETC., ETC. 

NEVADA CITY, MONTANA. 



Keeps constantly on hand a general assort- 
ment of goods in his line, which he is selling 
at the very lowest cash figures. 



Herndon & Donaldson, 



Will contract for work in the city or coun- 
try. Keep for sale, Doors and Sash; also build- 
ing paper, a thick, solid pasteboard, a good 
substitute for plastering, at half the cost. We 
keep a Lumber Yard in connection with our 
shop. All our work is warranted to give satis- 
faction. 

VIRGINIA CITY, 

mo nxTT^isr.^. 



Francis & Valentine, 




517 Clay, and 510 to 516 Commercial Streets, S. F. 



ALL COUNTRY ORDERS EXECUTED IN THE BEST MANNER. 



Classified Business List of Advertisers, 



Attorneys at Law. 

BLAKE, HENEY N 26 

CALLAWAY, JAMES E 26 

hosmee, j. a 2d page of cover 

SANDERS, WILBUR F 26 

word, samuel 2d page of cover 

Bankers. 

HUSSEY, DAHLER & COMPANY 21 

BROWN, JAMES F. & COMPANY 26 

Boots and shoes. 

ARMSTRONG, W. P 17 

LACROIX & PARKER 46 

Breweries and Bakeries. 

GILBERT & REICHTER 32 

MANNHEIM, JOHN 17 

Builders. 

HERNDON & DONALDSON 60 

Cigars and Tobaccos. 

WARMINGTON, HARRY 41 

Civil Engineers. 

CORBETT, J. L 51 

DE LACY, W. W 26 

Clothing and Furnishing Goods. 

ELLING, HENRY 17 

WALTER, E. J 56 

Druggists and Apothecaries. 

DAEMS, DR.L 21 

MORRIS, W.W 21 

Dry Goods. 

BATEMAN, R. P 12 

STRASBURGER, I. & M. L 8 

Freighters. 

ESLER, F. W 8 

Groceries and Provisions. 

CAREY & O'BRINE t 8 

LAURIN, J. B 56 

PATTON & LAMBRECHT 60 

RAYMOND BROTHERS 56 

russell, s. & co 3d page of cover 



SCREWS, w. s 60 

STOER, J. F 41 

Harness and Saddlery. 

KRAEMER, JULIUS 41 

Hotels. 

CRESCENT HOTEL 12 

PLANTERS' HOUSE 4 

BELLEVIEW STATION 46 

Jewelers. 

BUTLER, N. T 12 

PEASE, H. A 4 

Land Agencies. 

LOTT, M. H 59 

LYMAN, L. B 51 

Livery Stables. 

THEXTON, GEORGE 32 

Markets. 

metropolitan, 2d page of cover 

Newspapers. 

MONTANIAN 51 

Physicians and Surgeons. 

MUSSIGBROD, C 4 

SMITH, I. C 4 

yager, e. t 2d page of cover 

Pioneer Tannery. 

morris, w. w 3d page of cover 

Printers. 

FRANCIS & VALENTINE 60 

Purchasing Agents. 

LAKE, WILLIAM B 37 

Sporling Goods. 

brundage, h 2d page of cover 

Stage Lines. 

GILMER & SALISBURY 32 

Stationery. 

tilton, d. w 4th page of cover 

Stoves and Hardware. 
DRIGGS, E. U 46 



A Choice Qjjality of Leather 

For all purposes is constantly manufactured at this tannery. 



The Leather has taken the First Premium at different Exhibitions 

Orders from all parts of the territory and from abroad will receive 
prompt attention. 

W. W. MORRIS, Agent, 

VIRGINIA CITY, MONTANA. 






AND JOBBEKS IN 



WINES, LIQUORS AND CIGARS, 

■V^ALjIjA.OE street, 
VIRGINIA CITY, ------- 31QWTANA 



Have just received and will continue to receive each week a large invoice of 

QOODS ^iFLOUVE THIEJ £3AST 

They buy for cash from first hands, which enables them to give retail 
dealers in the city and surrounding camps 

Greater Inducements than any other House in the Territory. 

p&~Cash Advances made on Consignments, 



He 



anital 




tar® 



ESTABLISHED 



D. W. TILT ON, 

Wholesale and Retail Dealer in 

'ritoot looK Stationery ||att jjaner 

PICTURES, 

AND A GENERAL VARIETY OF 

Fancy (Ms, Histories, News Papers and Magazines, 

VIRGINIA CITY, M. T. 



8^* Goods Forwarded by Express or Mail to any part of 
the Territory. Call and Examine the Stock. 



ENLARGED 



:r Tn ff * 




lniaw Montana 



